When the announcement came that the Yomiuri Giants were changing pitchers before the top of the sixth inning on Wednesday night, a mixture of surprise and disappointment was evident from the fans clad in orange and black at Tokyo Dome.
The fans were hoping to see a Kyojin victory and witness Masahiro Tanaka take a step toward a major milestone. They went home disappointed on both counts after the Chunichi Dragons erased a three-run deficit in the fifth inning and went on to win 4-3.
The result left Tanaka stuck on 198 career victories between NPB and MLB. His pursuit of 200 has stalled this season.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.