Scoring flyball gives Marines win over Giants
Kim Tae Kyun didn’t get the start, but he helped put the finishing touches on a victory.
The South Korean slugger pushed home the go-ahead run with a pinch-hit scoring flyball that gave the Lotte Marines a 2-1 10-inning interleague victory over the Yomiuri Giants on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome.
Shoitsu Omatsu opened the 10th with a double off Jonathon Albaladejo (1-1) and pinch-runner Masato Watanabe brought home Lotte’s second run on Kim’s fly to deep center.
Tomohisa Otani went the first seven innings, holding the Giants to a run on five hits and no walks with six Ks. Yomiuri starter Seth Greisinger was just as good, limiting Lotte to a run on five hits, three walks and a hit batter. He fanned eight, but both had to settle for no decision.
Yasuhiko Yabuta (1-2) went two scoreless innings for the win. He walked one of the seven men he faced to rack up his first win since last Aug. 15.
“I just wanted to hold them without a run and try to help us win,” Yabuta said. “I gave up a walk-off homer before to Chunichi so I just wanted to make sure I had good control and kept the ball down. We’ve won three straight, so I hope we can just keep it going.”
Alex Ramirez put the Giants in front with a first-inning two-out RBI single, but the Marines got even on Kazuya Matsuura’s two-out, RBI in the fourth.
The Giants, who are last in the CL in runs scored, fell to 8-12 in interleague play.
SWALLOWS 6, LIONS 5
Hiroyasu Tanaka got Yakult even in the ninth inning with a single, and won it in the 210-th with a sac fly as Yakult came back from five down to top Seibu in 11 innings at Jingu Stadium.
Wladimir Balentien slugged his Japan-leading 16th homer in the sixth after a two-out walk to cleanup man Kazuhiro Hatakeyama.
TIGERS 1, FIGHTERS 0
Kentaro Sekimoto slapped a clutch RBI single to center off Hirotoshi Masui (0-2) as Hanshin rallied for a walk-off win over visiting Nippon Ham.
It was Sekimoto’s first sayonara hit since July 28, 2009, and it gave Minoru Iwata (3-5) the win. The lefty fired a five-hitter -- fanning 11, walking one and hitting one -- for his third career shutout.
The Tigers could do nothing against Masaru Takeda, who allowed four hits and a walk with three Ks over eight scoreless innings to drop his ERA to a Japan-best 1.30.
BUFFALOES 9, BAYSTARS 0
Tomotaka Sakaguchi had his second career five-hit game, doubling twice and driving in four to lead a season-high-tying 17-hit attack as visiting Orix pounded Yokohama.
Hayato Terhara (6-4) fired eight shutout innings, limiting one of his former teams to five hits with no walks and four Ks to earn the victory.
Scoring flyball gives Marines win over Giants
Kim Tae Kyun didn’t get the start, but he helped put the finishing touches on a victory.
The South Korean slugger pushed home the go-ahead run with a pinch-hit scoring flyball that gave the Lotte Marines a 2-1 10-inning interleague victory over the Yomiuri Giants on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome.
Shoitsu Omatsu opened the 10th with a double off Jonathon Albaladejo (1-1) and pinch-runner Masato Watanabe brought home Lotte’s second run on Kim’s fly to deep center.
Tomohisa Otani went the first seven innings, holding the Giants to a run on five hits and no walks with six Ks. Yomiuri starter Seth Greisinger was just as good, limiting Lotte to a run on five hits, three walks and a hit batter. He fanned eight, but both had to settle for no decision.
Yasuhiko Yabuta (1-2) went two scoreless innings for the win. He walked one of the seven men he faced to rack up his first win since last Aug. 15.
“I just wanted to hold them without a run and try to help us win,” Yabuta said. “I gave up a walk-off homer before to Chunichi so I just wanted to make sure I had good control and kept the ball down. We’ve won three straight, so I hope we can just keep it going.”
Alex Ramirez put the Giants in front with a first-inning two-out RBI single, but the Marines got even on Kazuya Matsuura’s two-out, RBI in the fourth.
The Giants, who are last in the CL in runs scored, fell to 8-12 in interleague play.
SWALLOWS 6, LIONS 5
Hiroyasu Tanaka got Yakult even in the ninth inning with a single, and won it in the 210-th with a sac fly as Yakult came back from five down to top Seibu in 11 innings at Jingu Stadium.
Wladimir Balentien slugged his Japan-leading 16th homer in the sixth after a two-out walk to cleanup man Kazuhiro Hatakeyama.
TIGERS 1, FIGHTERS 0
Kentaro Sekimoto slapped a clutch RBI single to center off Hirotoshi Masui (0-2) as Hanshin rallied for a walk-off win over visiting Nippon Ham.
It was Sekimoto’s first sayonara hit since July 28, 2009, and it gave Minoru Iwata (3-5) the win. The lefty fired a five-hitter -- fanning 11, walking one and hitting one -- for his third career shutout.
The Tigers could do nothing against Masaru Takeda, who allowed four hits and a walk with three Ks over eight scoreless innings to drop his ERA to a Japan-best 1.30.
BUFFALOES 9, BAYSTARS 0
Tomotaka Sakaguchi had his second career five-hit game, doubling twice and driving in four to lead a season-high-tying 17-hit attack as visiting Orix pounded Yokohama.
Hayato Terhara (6-4) fired eight shutout innings, limiting one of his former teams to five hits with no walks and four Ks to earn the victory.