Wyverns Fall in Konami Finals
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
SK Wyverns fell short of their first Konami Cup title Sunday, suffering a heart-breaking 6-5 defeat to Japan Series champions Chunichi Dragons in the tournament final at the Tokyo Dome, Sunday.
With the score tied at 5 apiece in the bottom of the ninth, Wyverns reliever Michael Romano walked Dragons' Issei Nakamura who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Atsushi Fujii. After managing to retire Masahiro Araki on a short grounder, a visibly tired Romano gave up a single up the middle to Hirokazu Ibata that proved enough for the Dragons to lift the trophy.
Dragons closer Hitoki Iwase pitched a scoreless ninth to finish off the Wyverns, avenging their 6-3 loss to the Korean Series champions in the tournament's opener.
The Wyverns, which scored 32 points in their previous three games, seemed on course for another offensive onslaught, scoring twice in the first off Dragons starter Daisuke Yamai on RBI singles from Lee Jin-young and Park Jae-hong.
However, the Dragons responded immediately, with Inoue Kazuki belting a solo shot off Wyvern starter George Rayborn. The Dragons took Rayborn out of the game in the fifth on an RBI single by Fuji and an RBI grounder to second to take the lead at 3-2. The Dragons' South Korean outfielder Lee Byung-gyu took Wyverns reliever Kim Kwang-hyun deep for a two-run shot to make it 5-2 in the sixth.
The Wyverns summoned one last fight in them, with designated hitter Kim Jae-hyun hitting a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth to make it 5-3. Lee Jin-young then tied in the bottom of the eight with a mammoth two-run shot off Dragons reliever Shinya Okamoto.
However, Rayborn's implosion in ninth was the final nail in the coffin.
The annual East Asian international baseball tournament is played among the champions of South Korea's Korean Series, Japan's Japan Series, Taiwan's Taiwan Series and the China Stars, an all-star lineup of players from the China Baseball League. The Uni-President Lions represented Taiwan in this year's tournament.