November 8, 200620 yr FUKUOKA, Japan ? (AP) ? Jose Reyes hit a walkoff, two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday to give the MLB All-Stars a 5-3 victory over the Japan stars and a sweep of the five-game series. Bill Hall singled before Reyes homered to right off reliever Hisashi Ogura to complete the major leaguers' first sweep in Japan in 72 years. "I was just glad to put my team in a position to win again,'' said Reyes, who had 19 homers for the New York Mets this season. "I was looking for a pitch to hit and I got all of it. We came here to win and didn't want to lose a game.'' The MLB stars took a 3-2 in the sixth on Ryan Howard's RBI double and Andrew Jones' sacrifice fly. Naoyuki Omura tied the game for Japan with a two-out, bloop single in the ninth. "Japan plays with a lot of heart,'' MLB manager Bruce Bochy said. "But we came over with a real good team and the fans got to see some of the best players in the world during this series.'' Howard broke up a perfect game bid by Japanese starter Tsuyoshi Wada with a single in the fifth. He eventually scored on Kenji Johjima's single. Howard, who had four homers and eight RBIs in the series, was named MVP of the tour. "I got some good pitches to hit and had a lot of fun here,'' said Howard, the Philadelphia Phillies slugger who led the majors with 58 homers this season. "I had a great time and I'm glad that we were able to win every game.'' Scot Shields picked up the win after recording the final out in the top of the 10th. Takahiro Arai and Shuichi Murata gave Japan a 2-0 lead in the fourth with solo homers off MLB starter John Lackey. "I grew up in Fukuoka so it's nice to get a hit in my hometown,'' Murata said. "Their pitchers throw hard and they can pitch to all corners, so I'm learning a lot by facing them.'' Johjima and Tadahito Iguchi were playing in the Fukuoka Dome for the first time since leaving for the majors. The last time a team of major leaguers swept a tour of Japan was when the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig All-Stars went 17-0 in 1935.
November 8, 200620 yr Nice to see that Wright and Reyes saved their best for the post-season....er....wait. :cool
November 8, 200620 yr Nice to see that Wright and Reyes saved their best for the post-season....er....wait. :cool :lol I was thinking the same thing. Congrats to the MLB AS's!
November 8, 200620 yr Congrats anyone noticed alot of players from the NL East went this could be a hard division next year
November 9, 200620 yr Congrats anyone noticed alot of players from the NL East went this could be a hard division next year Very true..
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