OK. In Tomo's last start I used the thread to speak Japanese. Ohka didn't win, but pitched very well in 7 innings. So here's hoping that trend continues when I speak Tomo's native tongue. Tomo = eesu, tonight we hope. Hopefully, the suraida and chenji appu are working well tonight. A anchi kyojin: Anti-Yomiuri Giants (kyojin being the Japanese word for "giants"). Much like America's Yankees, the Tokyo-based Giants have utterly dominated the Japanese game as a perennial threat to win the championship. Thus, this term describes most fans of Japanese baseball who do not root for the Giants. B banto: bunt batta: batter batta bokkusu: batters box besuboru: baseball besuto nain: starting lineup ("best nine") boru: ball C chenji appu: changeup D daburu pure: double play deddo boru: a pitch that hits the batter ("dead ball") de gemu: day game E eesu: pitching ace entaitoru tsu besu: ground rule double ("entitled two bases") era: error F fain pure: fine play famu: farm team or farm system fasuto: first baseman fauro: foul ball fensu: home run fence foa boru: walk ("four ball") foku: forkball furu besu: bases loaded ("full bases") furu kaunto: full count G gattsu pozu: guts pose, i.e. hot-dogging it after a home run - what we used to call a "pimp job" when I was back in high school. gemu setto: game over ("game set") goro: ground out gurobu: glove H heddo surraidingu: head-first slide ("head sliding") herumetto: batting helmet hiiro intabyu: post-game hero interview homuin: run ("home-in") homuran: home run I iji furai: routine fly ball ("easy fly") K kantoku: manager koochi: coach kyatcha: catcher M manrui homa: grand slam home run maundo: pitchers mound N naisu pure: nice play naita: night game P pa riigu: Pacific League pasu boru: passed ball pinchi hitta: pinch hitter pinchi ranna: pinch runner pitcha: pitcher pitchingu sutaffu: pitching staff pure boru: Play ball R raina: line drive ("liner") raito: right fielder rakii sebun: lucky seven - the Japanese version of the seventh inning stretch in which fans release thousands of condom-shaped balloons ranningu homuran: inside-the-park home run ("running home run") refuto: left fielder ririfu pitcha: relief pitcher rukii: rookie S saado: third baseman saikuru hitto: hitting for the cycle sanshin: strikeout sayonara homuran: walk-off home run sebu: save sekando: second baseman senta: center fielder se riigu: Central League shiiso gemu: seesaw game, i.e. a game with multiple lead changes shimei dasha: designated hitter shinjin: rookie (lit. "new person") shinpan: umpire shoto: shortstop suitchi hitta: switch hitter suketto: a derogatory term for foreign players that literally means "helper" - the implication is that they are not real ballplayers, just "helpers." sukoa bodo: scoreboard supuritto finga fasuto boru: splitfinger fastball suraida: slider sutoraiku: strike sutoreto: fastball ("straight") T tatchi appu: tag up ("touch up") tatchi auto: tagged out ("touch out") taimurii: a run batted in (from "timely hit") U uetingu sakuru: on-deck circle ("waiting circle") W wairudo pitchi: wild pitch Y yakyu: "fieldball" - the Japanese name for baseball