Although Air Self Defense Force planes constantly fly overhead, their pilots are prohibited from gunning their engines over populated areas.
The disturbance, correctly identified as a sonic boom, was indeed created by the local speed merchants: not maverick ASDF jet jockeys but the Seibu Lions, who were busy falling out of the Japan Series at the speed of sound.
Having lost by three runs in Game 1, by five runs in Game 2 and by eight runs in Game 3, the only things that eventually slowed the Lions descent was the earth as they crashed out in a 6-2 loss in Game 4.
Seibu has a long history for ruthlessly exploiting every opportunity available, a label applies not only to owner Yoshiaki Tsutsumi but to his ball club as well. Yet in the Series, the Giants were the ones holding the whips.
The Central League champs punished the Lions' every mistake and hesitation, while their own went unnoticed.
After Game 2, Alex Cabrera, who has been the Lions' only consistent bat, said he hadn't worked so hard all year to look like a fool. Yet, other than a different big tent under which to operate, there was little change in the Seibu circus act on Tuesday. Instead of treating the home crowd to the usual wild animal show, the Lions offered 3 hours 15 minutes worth of clown routines, which, needless to say, continued to be a big hit with the Giants fans.
Although the Lions showed some fight for the first time on Wednesday night, it was too late to avoid casting a pall on what had been an exciting season in Tokorozawa.
The series appeared lost in the fourth inning of Game 3, the Lions could have held the Giants scoreless to preserve a 3-1 deficit but didn't.
With no outs and a runner on first base, Giants batter Takayuki Saito chopped a ball to first baseman Alex Cabrera, who got the ball but had no chance to make the putout himself. He made the toss to pitcher Chang Chih Chia, who was late covering first, and the runner reached on a single.
Reliever Koji Mitsui got an out and a walk to load the bases before giving up a sinking liner to center.
Center fielder Tomoaki Sato, who is as fast as they come and who was playing shallow to keep the runner on second from scoring on a single, caught the ball and threw home.
But while the runner on third, Shinnosuke Abe, stopped and retreated after the throw was made, the runner on second base, Saito, was stuck half-way between second and third and a perfect candidate for out No. 3.
Sato's throw from center may have been too high for shortstop Kazuo Matsui to cut off, or he may have been distracted by the sight of Saito turning and scurrying back to second base. For whatever reason, Matsui dashed to cover second, where second baseman Hiroshi Hirao was waiting as well.
As a result, the Lions had two fielders ready to make the double play at second but no one to cutoff Sato's throw so there could be a play in the first place.
Instead of sending on-deck hitter Tomohiro Nioka off to find his glove so he could take the field in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Lions defense sent him to the plate, where Mitsui fell behind and threw a 3-2 slider down the pipe.
Nioka knocked the ball over the fence and the Lions, for all intents and purposes, out of the Series.
Opportunities came the Lions' way in every game, but they could deal constructively with the pressure.
"I think a lot of their young players are not mentally tough,," said Game 3 winner Kimiyasu Kudo, who witnessed his former team struggling and failing to show its excellent in-season form.
The Giants, if anything, played with more precision and concentration than they usually do and thus had little trouble in taking advantage of the Lions mistakes and quickly pushing their opponents to the brink of extinction and over the precipace.
"We're nervous as heck," said Giants second baseman Toshihisa Nishi before Game 4. "But so far it's working for us."
The Hot Corner appears each Thursday in The
Daily Yomiuri .