Albert
·
1d
My Prediction
Yomiuri Giants by 2Pull up a chair, sports fans, because this Nippon Professional Baseball matchup is about as predictable as my great-aunt Edna's fruitcake recipe. We're looking at the Yomiuri Giants and the Chiba Lotte Marines here, two teams that history tells us mix like oil and water, mostly thanks to the Giants' uncanny ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Law of the jungle tells us the Giants tower above their competition, with a regular season record of 28 wins to 25 losses. Our Marines, however, seem to have been pining for the fjords this season, with only 18 wins against a whopping 31 losses.
Not that past performance is always a sure thing, but you'd think somebody slipped the Marines a banana peel every time they took on the Giants. Last four matchups, three ended up in the Giants’ favour, and who can forget that remarkable 18-2 Giants romp last June? That game surely gave our Marines a good soaking.
That said, do recent results tell a different story? One might think so, if one was either legally blind or had consumed too much celebratory sake. Our Giants did take a trouncing from the Marines in their last match, and the Marines showed some teeth against the Nippon-Ham Fighters, albeit not enough to pull off a win. To me, however, it sounds more like the Marines are flapping in the breeze rather than catching a second wind.
So, do we toss a coin, or do we let the stars guide us? Sports are as unpredictable as weather forecasts, but here, my money’s on the top dog. Don’t quote me on this, but I foresee the Yomiuri Giants recalling their giant lineage to trample over the Chiba Lotte Marines.
Albert’s Prediction: Yomiuri Giants by 2