Major Leaguers win Japanese series

Posted 1:50PM on Sunday 17th November 2002 ( 22 years ago )

TOKYO - Eric Chavez hit a home run and Torii Hunter made a spectacular catch in the ninth inning as the major league all-stars beat their Japanese counterparts 4-2 on Sunday to win the seven-game exhibition series. The major league all-stars won four straight after losing the first three games of the series, a comeback that has never been done in the major league playoffs or World Series. The major leaguers haven't lost an all-star tour of Japan since 1990, and this was their fifth straight series win. With a runner on second and one out in the ninth, Norihiro Nakamura hit a fly to center and Hunter made a running catch against the wall to save a run. ``It was painful,'' said Hunter, who was named the series MVP. ``But I just try to do anything I can to help our team win, and I'll just get in the whirlpool for a while.'' Chavez hit a solo homer off reliever Kei Igawa in the bottom of the eighth at Tokyo Dome to make it 4-2. Bartolo Colon allowed one run and five hits in six innings for the win. Eric Gagne got three outs for the save. Barry Bonds singled in the sixth and was replaced by Chavez. Jason Giambi followed with a single that sent Chavez to third. Eric Hinske's sacrifice fly made it 3-1. Bonds had 10 RBIs and three homers in the series. He also hit a pair of homers in a tuneup game against the Yomiuri Giants last Saturday, which the major leaguers won 8-1. Ichiro Suzuki went 4-for-4 with three singles and a double for the major leaguers. Japan's all-stars didn't win after Bonds lifted the major leaguers to a 6-5 victory with a grand slam in Game 4 at Sapporo Dome. ``It didn't look good to lose the first three games,'' manager Art Howe said. ``But we had some great players on this team and we never gave up. Barry ignited us with that grand slam and we never looked back.'' Hideki Matsui, who intends to play in the majors next season, went 1-for-3 on Sunday and finished the series 4-for-27 with two RBIs. ``During this series, I saw the things I need to do and there are a lot of them,'' Matsui said. ``I want to show the fans a bigger Matsui and have to show the fans a bigger Matsui or there's no point in going over there.'' Matsui came out for a curtain call after the game and strolled to the mound to wave to the crowd. ``It's a shame he didn't show the fans and the major leaguers what he's capable of,'' Japan manager Tatsunori Hara said. ``There was a lot pressure on him during this series.'' The major leaguers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Suzuki led off with a double and scored on Bernie Williams' single. They made it 2-1 in the third when Paul Lo Duca scored from third after Roberto Alomar hit into a bases-loaded double play with no outs. Koji Uehara of the Yomiuri Giants took the loss after giving up two runs on seven hits in five innings.

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