Tsuyoshi Shinjo’s plan for Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters ace Hiromi Ito in the first stage of the Pacific League Climax Series would either make him look crazy like a fox or, well, just plain crazy.
After all, not every manager would willingly go into a three-game playoff series without planning for his best pitcher to throw.
But that is what Shinjo did in the first stage of the Climax Series against the Chiba Lotte Marines. In a short series that could have ended in the blink of an eye, the Fighters manager ran the risk of being run out of the postseason without his best pitcher touching the ball.
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