Giants get off to winning start with victory over Dragons

There’s nothing like a very good first impression.

Simply ask new Yomiuri Giants Gregory Polanco and Taisei Ota, who each stood on the hero interview podium absorbing the adulation of over 38,000 followers after kicking off the brand new NPB season in model.

Polanco had three hits, together with a tiebreaking single within the fifth inning, in his NPB debut, and Taisei, a rookie, pitched himself right into a jam within the ninth earlier than nailing down the save because the Giants opened the 2022 season with a 4-2 win over the Chunichi Dragons at Tokyo Dome on Friday evening.

Polanco singled in his first two at-bats earlier than placing the Giants forward to stick with his hit to proper off Yudai Ono within the fifth.

“I really feel nice,” Polanco mentioned. “I really feel nice to be right here. It’s an amazing feeling for me, particularly on opening day. The followers and my teammates, all people, the coaches, they acquired me with plenty of vitality and I’m actually pleased to be right here.”

Yoshihiro Maru drove within the sport’s first run with a house run within the second, however the Dragons struck again with a Yuki Okabayashi RBI single within the third and a house run from Dayan Viciedo house run within the fourth.

Taishi Hirooka, Polanco and Kazuma Okamoto drove in runs to place the Giants forward 4-2 within the fifth. The rating remained the identical going into the ninth, when Ota emerged from the bullpen.

The 22-year-old rookie struck out the primary batter he confronted earlier than giving up singles to Yohei Oshima and Okabayashi. Ota retired the subsequent batter, however hit Viciedo to load the bases. He retired Takuya Kinoshita on a grounder to shut out the sport and turn out to be the primary rookie in workforce historical past to document a save on opening day.

“I actually believed he was going to carry them down,” starter Tomoyuki Sugano mentioned. “I wasn’t completely comfortable,” he joked. “I used to be form of anxious watching it.”

Sugano, in contrast to his new teammates, has been right here earlier than, with Friday’s sport marking his eighth opening day begin for the membership.

“This was my eighth time, however I used to be most likely probably the most nervous for this one,” Sugano mentioned.

The 2-time Sawamura Award winner had a troublesome 2021 season and was shaky in the course of the Giants’ spring video games.

“ my preseason outcomes, there have been some issues I used to be apprehensive about,” Sugano mentioned. “I believe I used to be in a position to do the minimal at the moment and I believe I received off to a very good begin.”

Sugano fared barely higher than Ono in a matchup battle of former Sawamura Award winners, permitting a pair of runs on seven hits in six innings. Sugano was credited with the victory and set a brand new Giants document along with his fifth opening day win.

“I’m actually pleased,” he mentioned. “Nevertheless, this isn’t one thing I may obtain by myself. Even at the moment, my teammates scored the primary run for me after which got here from behind.”

The groups performed in entrance of a big crowd, because the earlier attendance restrictions in place because of COVID-19 had been lifted. A crowd of 38,156 was on the Large Egg. Whereas Japanese baseball’s acquainted songs and chants had been nonetheless lacking, that didn’t dampen Polanco’s expertise.

“The environment right here, it’s superb,” he mentioned. “All of the followers cheer for you they usually’re so pleased they usually assist you. I’m pleased to be right here and I wish to do my greatest each sport, each play to attempt to win video games and win the championship.”

Ono (0-1) gave up 4 runs — three earned — in his six innings on the mound. He allowed eight hits, struck out three and walked a pair within the shedding effort.

Maru opened the scoring along with his house run within the second to provide the Giants an early lead.

Ono hit a two-out infield single within the prime of the third and moved up two bases when Oshima hit a ball into the outfield and Polanco dedicated an error. Okabayashi adopted with an RBI single to tie the rating.

Viciedo turned an unassisted double play to finish the third and gave his workforce the lead with an opposite-field house run to guide off the fourth.

“I assumed it was gone after I hit it,” he informed reporters.

Yomiuri’s Naoki Yoshikawa got here up with a two-out infield single, upheld after a reply assessment, within the fifth and got here house on a game-tying RBI double by Hirooka.

Polanco hit his tiebreaking single to place Yomiuri again on prime, and Okamoto tacked on one other run with an RBI double that made it 4-2.

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