It's Five Straight for Japan As Yomiuri Clobbers Kia

It seems as if the Asia Series has turned into the Nippon Professional Baseball Invitational Challenge yet again.

Well, actually it's now known as the Japan-Korea Club Championship, with China's teams unable to save its former identity.

Nevertheless, it was more of the same. For the fifth straight year, Japan's champion has risen to the accolade of Beast from the Far East.

This year it was the Yomiuri Giants, who took Korea's Kia Tigers to the woodshed at Nagasaki's Big N Stadium, 9-4.

The Tigers, led by Na Ji-Wan, stormed out of the gates early with a 3-0 lead. Giants starting pitcher Dicky Gonzalez gave up one run in the third and reliever Tetsuya Utsumi surrendered two in the fifth. 

Eventually that lead would evaporate.

Yomiuri, who destroyed the competition en route to their 21st Japan Series ring, wore down the champions of the Korea Baseball Organization by launching the big guns: Michihiro Ogasawara and Shinnosuke Abe.

Kia's pitching staff, led by Gwak Jeong Cheol and Yang Hyeon Jong, were unable to brace themselves for the onslaught that was to come.

Ogasawara scored on a solo home run in the sixth while Abe's three-run bomb in the seventh opened the floodgates.

The Giants scored seven runs in the seventh inning to effectively put the game out of reach. Alex Ramirez added to the hit parade with a two-run single and Yoshiyuki Kamei and Takahito Kudo joined in with RBI single of their own.

Just to add insult to injury, Kudo added one more single in the top of the ninth inning.

Abe was pleased with his effort. "I feel great! The first two batters got on base, so I just tried to follow them in that situation," Abe said after the game. "Kia has a lot of good hitters. 

"Their starting pitcher came out strong against us. They really put us in a hole."

But it was a hole that they were able to get out of-not just with timely hitting, but solid pitching. Takahiko Nomaguchi got the win for the Giants, while Wilfin Obispo earned his final saw of the year donning the orange and black.

Jong finished the days with six strikeouts and one run allowed in 5 2/3 innings of work.

For Yomiuri manager Tatsunori Hara, it was a fitting end to an already magical year, which also saw him manage the Japanese national team that won the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

"I'm relieved we managed to win the very last game of the year," Hara said. "It was a tough game, but we bounced back and pounded out hits in the seventh inning.

Kia manager Cho Bum Hyun rued the effort of his pitching staff.

"It's a shame that the bullpen was ineffective in the seventh," Cho said. "Our young players' immaturity and lack of experience took a toll on this big stage."

With the win, the Giants received a winning prize of ¥20 million out of the ¥25 million purse.

But one can only wonder if the Asia Series can be resurrected again, with Japan's dominance reducing it to nothing but a one-league showcase.