Game RECAP April 30 / 2025 Hanshin vs Chunichi Dragons
RECAP
Miscommunication Costs Tigers in Extra-Inning Walk-Off Loss
The Hanshin Tigers suffered their first walk-off loss of the 2025 season in heartbreaking fashion, dropping their third consecutive game and losing their grip on the Central League lead. In the bottom of the 11th, a miscommunication between reliever Beasley and catcher Sakamoto led to a costly passed ball, advancing the winning run to third. Moments later, pinch-hitter Cariste delivered a sacrifice fly to center, sealing the 5–4 victory for the opposition.
Earlier in the inning, Beasley had shown visible frustration, slamming his glove and punching the dugout wall. “The communication wasn’t there,” he admitted postgame. “Sakamoto gave the sign, but I didn’t process it. That’s on me.”
The Tigers had a golden chance in the top of the 9th with no outs and a runner on second, but Sakamoto failed to execute a sacrifice bunt and struck out. Even after pinch-hitter Itohara reached, bringing up the heart of the order with one out and runners on second and third, both Kinami and Chikamoto went down swinging.
Manager Fujikawa remained composed in the face of defeat: “That’s the nature of a long season. We have to stay patient and keep playing aggressively.”
The Tigers also had to deal with a last-minute roster change, as setup man Ishii was scratched due to illness. Beasley, called up from a minor league practice session that very morning, answered the emergency call with intensity, despite the painful result.
Hanshin now trails the Giants and will look to rebound and avoid a prolonged skid. With Fujikawa’s “aggressive baseball” mantra, the Tigers aim to bounce back quickly and retake momentum.
Box
| Order | Pos | # | Name | AB | R | H | RBI | SB | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (CF) | 5 | Chikamoto | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | F8 | – | G5 | – | – | 1B6 | G1 | – | K | – | – | |
| 2 | (2B) | 51 | Nakano | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3B78 | – | G6 | – | – | BB | K | – | – | F9 | – | |
| 3 | (RF) | 1 | Morishita | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1B8① | – | G4 | – | – | 1B8 | – | G5 | – | F9 | – | |
| 4 | (3B) | 8 | Sato | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | BB | – | – | F9 | – | 1B7① | – | G43 | – | 1B7 | – | |
| 5 | (1B) | 3 | Ohyama | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | F9 | – | – | K | – | GDP5 | – | G5 | – | BB | – | |
| 6 | (LF) | 58 | Maegawa | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | K | – | – | G43 | – | 1B9① | – | – | 2B8 | – | – | |
| – | PR-LF | 62 | Ueda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| – | PH-LF | 55 | Kusumoto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | G1 | – | |
| 7 | (C) | 12 | Sakamoto | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | F7 | – | – | K | G5 | – | – | K | – | G5 | |
| 8 | (SS) | 38 | Obata | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | F7 | – | – | F7 | – | F8 | – | – | – | – | |
| – | PH | 33 | Itohara | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1B7 | – | – | |
| – | P | 47 | Kirishiki | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| – | P | 65 | Yuasa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| – | PH | 94 | Umeno | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | F9 | |
| – | P | 99 | Beasley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 9 | (P) | 30 | Mombetsu | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | G6 | – | – | – | G4 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| – | P | 64 | Okadome | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| – | P | 46 | Shimamoto | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| – | PH | 68 | Nakagawa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | BB | – | – | – | – | |
| – | PR | 4 | Kumagai | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| – | P | 37 | Oyokawa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| – | PH-SS | 0 | Kinami | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | K | – | G5 | |
| TEAM | 41 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 1 | – |
| # | Name | NP | BF | IP | H | HR | BB | HBP | K | WP | BK | R | ER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Monbetsu | 100 | 23 | 5.2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| 64 | Okadome | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 46 | Shimamoto | 4 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| HP | 37 | Oyokawa | 20 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HP | 47 | Kirishiki | 14 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HP | 65 | Yuasa | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LP | 99 | Beasley | 14 | 4 | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TEAM | 186 | 45 | 10.2 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |