Fighters close interleague with best-ever winning percentage
Nobuhiro Matsuda doubled twice and homered, and Seiichi Uchikawa tormented his former team with three hits—including a homer—as SoftBank finished off run of .818 baseball against the Central League with a win.
Matsuda drove in three with a 4-for-5 performance as the Hawks downed the Yokohama BayStars 9-2 to notch the best winning percentage in the seven years of interleague play, going 18-4-2.
Uchikawa, who left Yokohama as a free agent in the offseason to join SoftBank, became the 21st player to homer against at least 13 clubs, blasting his sixth longball of the season in a four-run fifth.
Even reliever-turned-starter Tadashi Settsu (6-3) chipped in offensively for the Pacific League leaders, recording his first pro RBI on a groundout in the fourth.
The BayStars, by virtue of Saturday’s win and a same-day loss by Hiroshima, avoided finishing last in interleague play.
DRAGONS 2, BUFFALOES 1
Pinch-hitter Masaaki Koike belted the first walk-off homer in interleague history, slamming a solo shot in the bottom of the 10th inning as Chunichi outlasted Orix at Nagoya Dome.
It was the 13th-year outfielder’s first pinch-hit homer and the second walk-off shot of his career.
MARINES 7, SWALLOWS 1
Yuki Karakawa (6-2) moved up to fourth in the PL in ERA with eight innings of one-run ball and won his career-best sixth game as Lotte pounded Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
Tadahito Iguchi had two hits, including his fifth longball, and drove in two runs, and Kazuya Fukuura had two hits and a pair of RBIs as Lotte became the second franchise—behind SoftBank—to win its 100th interleague game.
CARP 2, FIGHTERS 1
Yuya Fukui (3-3) held Nippon Ham to a run over a career-best seven innings, and Takahiro Iwamoto broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI single in the sixth as Hiroshima won at The Zoom.
Kenta Kurihara had three hits and drove in Hiroshima’s first run with a clutch single in the first.
GIANTS 10, LIONS 1
Rookie Hirokazu Sawamura (3-5) worked seven scoreless innings, scattering five hits and walking two with seven Ks, and Shinnosuke Abe blasted his first homer at the Big Egg as Yomiuri topped Seibu.
The victory was the first for the right-hander at Tokyo Dome.
TIGERS 7, EAGLES 0
Jason Standridge (4-2) fired a four-hitter, walking two and fanning seven, to record his first shutout since last July 19 as Hanshin ripped Rakuten at Koshien Stadium.
Takashi Toritani had three hits, including his second longball, and three RBIs to send the Eagles into last place in the PL.
[Edited by: jgibson on Jun 19, 2011 11:40 PM]
[Edited by: jgibson on Jun 19, 2011 11:40 PM]
Nobuhiro Matsuda doubled twice and homered, and Seiichi Uchikawa tormented his former team with three hits—including a homer—as SoftBank finished off run of .818 baseball against the Central League with a win.
Matsuda drove in three with a 4-for-5 performance as the Hawks downed the Yokohama BayStars 9-2 to notch the best winning percentage in the seven years of interleague play, going 18-4-2.
Uchikawa, who left Yokohama as a free agent in the offseason to join SoftBank, became the 21st player to homer against at least 13 clubs, blasting his sixth longball of the season in a four-run fifth.
Even reliever-turned-starter Tadashi Settsu (6-3) chipped in offensively for the Pacific League leaders, recording his first pro RBI on a groundout in the fourth.
The BayStars, by virtue of Saturday’s win and a same-day loss by Hiroshima, avoided finishing last in interleague play.
DRAGONS 2, BUFFALOES 1
Pinch-hitter Masaaki Koike belted the first walk-off homer in interleague history, slamming a solo shot in the bottom of the 10th inning as Chunichi outlasted Orix at Nagoya Dome.
It was the 13th-year outfielder’s first pinch-hit homer and the second walk-off shot of his career.
MARINES 7, SWALLOWS 1
Yuki Karakawa (6-2) moved up to fourth in the PL in ERA with eight innings of one-run ball and won his career-best sixth game as Lotte pounded Yakult at Jingu Stadium.
Tadahito Iguchi had two hits, including his fifth longball, and drove in two runs, and Kazuya Fukuura had two hits and a pair of RBIs as Lotte became the second franchise—behind SoftBank—to win its 100th interleague game.
CARP 2, FIGHTERS 1
Yuya Fukui (3-3) held Nippon Ham to a run over a career-best seven innings, and Takahiro Iwamoto broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI single in the sixth as Hiroshima won at The Zoom.
Kenta Kurihara had three hits and drove in Hiroshima’s first run with a clutch single in the first.
GIANTS 10, LIONS 1
Rookie Hirokazu Sawamura (3-5) worked seven scoreless innings, scattering five hits and walking two with seven Ks, and Shinnosuke Abe blasted his first homer at the Big Egg as Yomiuri topped Seibu.
The victory was the first for the right-hander at Tokyo Dome.
TIGERS 7, EAGLES 0
Jason Standridge (4-2) fired a four-hitter, walking two and fanning seven, to record his first shutout since last July 19 as Hanshin ripped Rakuten at Koshien Stadium.
Takashi Toritani had three hits, including his second longball, and three RBIs to send the Eagles into last place in the PL.
[Edited by: jgibson on Jun 19, 2011 11:40 PM]
[Edited by: jgibson on Jun 19, 2011 11:40 PM]