Balentien moves closer to Japan's home run record

Good luck seeing a decent pitch for the next month, Balentien-san.

Test him!

Good luck seeing a decent pitch for the next month, Balentien-san.

That game is over, however hard you may want to keep it up, sorry to disappoint. He'll break the record sooner rather than later.

If there is any beef to be had it is with the tennis ball masquerading as a baseball. Note that Balentien hit 31 homers last season with a more standard ball.

Home-run-home-run, Bal-en-tien!

Walk him! Walk him! Walk him!

As a cricketing Limey I'm barely entitled to an opinion, but this walking business in baseball seems to be straightforward cheating.

If you bowl a wide ball in cricket, the batting team get a run added to their score and you have to bowl again at the same batsman, and that process repeats until you bowl a legal delivery. You can't weasel out of facing a guy just because you're scared he's going to hit you all over the park.

Sure, walking is a traditional part of a much-loved sport, but if Balentien loses out because of it, there are going to be some angry folk out there.

this walking business in baseball seems to be straightforward cheating.

It's actually a legitimate strategy. Sometimes it is much better to put a runner on base than to risk giving up a run or runs. A famous example is the 5 intentional walks Hideki Matsui got in one game at the Koshien high school baseball tournament. As a result, his team lost. You also don't have to be a home run hitter to draw walks. Ichiro Suzuki, a known clutch hitter, led the major leagues 3 times in intentional base on balls, racking up 27 one year. In Balentien's case, in a close game he might draw walks, but if his team is losing or winning by a wide margin with no one on base, I'm sure pitchers will pitch to him with no intention of walking him.

@kickboard

Sure, I understand it's within the rules, it just seems a shame that it an be used potentially to spoil what could be a highlight in someone's career.

If I were the king of baseball (!)' I'd change the rules to allow the batting team to choose anyone from their team to go to first base on a walk, and stick with the same guy at bat if they chose to.

Let's see ... how many other imported players came close to breaking Sadaharu Oh's cherished Central League record of 55 homers in a year? Just to name a couple, Randy Bass, Tuffy Rhodes ... and both didn't see a pitch worth going after once they closed in on the record. Rhodes managed to hit 55 in 2001 thus tying Oh's record, but it came in the (at that time) "inferior" Pacific League. Then there's Charlie Manuel, the just-fired manager of the Philidelphia Phillies, who got hit in the face by a "perfect control" pitcher while playing in Japan and came up spitting blood and teeth. That took the steam out of his home run displays.

Other slugging foreigners who saw bad pitch after pitch were Boomer Wells, and Ralph Bryant, both in the Pacific Leaguel.

Even some Japanese batters who came within range of Oh's record saw different pitches at the end of their chase.

So Balentien will really have his work cut out for him as he tries to hit the remaining four homers that will tie him with Oh. It will be interesting to see how his opposing pitchers handle this task. As for the Yomiuri Giant pitchers ... they will definitely run away from him in defense of Oh's record.

I'd like to see Balentien pass the 56 homer mark ... but get the feeling that an anchor will be attached to his feet.

I love it when I'm told there is "no racism in Japan" and when I question such blatant displays of such to Japanese people they tell me the pitchers are "respecting" the record. Respecting the record? Honestly... hopefully they can just play ball and let everyone enjoy the game, considering it's not 1947 anymore.

Considering he missed the first month of Baseball due to injury, he's kicking a*se. As well, the Swallows are the worst team in Baseball - no other offense on the team, error kings, and the worst bullpen! It is amazing there is some semblance of good news. I'm more amazed at the fans for supporting the team and there awful coaching staff (Fire Ogawa and all his henchmen).

I could care less about the ball controversy. Gee, every MLB player is on roids. Seems fair to me.

Go Coco.