Nippon Ham moves into 1st place
The Nippon Ham Fighters are hitting with their best shot.
Sho Nakata’s sixth-inning double, his fifth double in four games, proved to be the difference and help Nippon Ham move into first place in the Pacific League with a 5-2 over the host Seibu Lions.
Bobby Keppel (friend of the JBW podcast) scattered five hits and two walks with a K over six innings to improve to 8-2. Hisashi Takeda set down the side in order in the ninth for his Japan-best 21st save, and the Fighters won their fourth straight and moved a season-best 18 games over .500.
Third-year pro Kenshi Sugiya had two hits and a pair of runs driven in -- the first of his career -- in just his fourth game as a pro. And they came right after Takeya Nakamura blasted his Japan-leading 21st homer, a two-run shot deep to left that cut the Lions' deficit to one.
Lions starter Kazuhisa Ishii -- who it was discovered this week is still collecting money from the Los Angeles Dodgers -- only allowed three runs on six hits and a walk with three Ks, but fell under .500 to 3-4.
Keppel dropped his ERA to 2.95, giving the Fighters four starters with ERAs less than 3.00. Nippon Ham slugged 15 doubles in the three-game set.
BUFFALOES 2, HAWKS 1
Michael Hessman broke his bat but muscled a single to left to drive in the tying run and Hisao Arakane gave Orix their second straight walk-off win with a hit to left as the Buffaloes rallied past SoftBank for a sweep at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
Hessman had three hits, his single in the ninth taking starter Alfredo Figaro off the hook after he held SoftBank to a run on four hits over seven innings and giving the Buffaloes back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time since August 2007.
The Hawks have lost three straight for first time this season.
EAGLES 5, MARINES 2
Randy Ruiz and Ryo Hijirisawa drove in two runs apiece, and emergency reliever Tsuyoshi Kawagishi (1-1) worked 2.2 innings for his first victory since last June 11 in a home win over Lotte.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
DRAGONS 6, GIANTS 2
Third-year righty Junki Ito baffled Yomiuri -- tossing perfect ball over the first 4.2 innings and carrying a shutout into the eighth -- to lead Chunichi to a win at Tokyo Dome in the rubber game of the series.
Kazuhiro Wada popped his seventh homer in the first, a three-run shot off Hirokazu Sawamura (4-6) who had walked one and hit one to bring up last year’s CL’s MVP with one out. Ito (1-0) was making his first start since last April 11, when the Giants knocked him out after just two innings in a loss.
TIGERS 10, BAYSTARS 0
Akihito Fujii had three hits and two RBIs, including a two-run single in a six-run first inning as Hanshin handed Yokohama its latest beating with a laugher at Koshien Stadium.
The Tigers chased Yokohama newcomer Luis Gonzalez (1-1) from his second start after two innings, stringing together seven straight hits in the first frame. Hanshin’s Atsushi Nomi (4-6) went eight scoreless to earn the win.
SWALLOWS 7, CARP 3
Norichika Aoki tripled and singled with an RBI -- before leaving with a sore left ankle -- and Hiroyasu Tanaka had a hit and two RBIs with two walks as Yakult kicked aside Hiroshima at The Zoom.
The front-running Swallows became the first team to win 30 games and lead the Dragons by 3.5 games.
Nippon Ham moves into 1st place
The Nippon Ham Fighters are hitting with their best shot.
Sho Nakata’s sixth-inning double, his fifth double in four games, proved to be the difference and help Nippon Ham move into first place in the Pacific League with a 5-2 over the host Seibu Lions.
Bobby Keppel (friend of the JBW podcast) scattered five hits and two walks with a K over six innings to improve to 8-2. Hisashi Takeda set down the side in order in the ninth for his Japan-best 21st save, and the Fighters won their fourth straight and moved a season-best 18 games over .500.
Third-year pro Kenshi Sugiya had two hits and a pair of runs driven in -- the first of his career -- in just his fourth game as a pro. And they came right after Takeya Nakamura blasted his Japan-leading 21st homer, a two-run shot deep to left that cut the Lions' deficit to one.
Lions starter Kazuhisa Ishii -- who it was discovered this week is still collecting money from the Los Angeles Dodgers -- only allowed three runs on six hits and a walk with three Ks, but fell under .500 to 3-4.
Keppel dropped his ERA to 2.95, giving the Fighters four starters with ERAs less than 3.00. Nippon Ham slugged 15 doubles in the three-game set.
BUFFALOES 2, HAWKS 1
Michael Hessman broke his bat but muscled a single to left to drive in the tying run and Hisao Arakane gave Orix their second straight walk-off win with a hit to left as the Buffaloes rallied past SoftBank for a sweep at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
Hessman had three hits, his single in the ninth taking starter Alfredo Figaro off the hook after he held SoftBank to a run on four hits over seven innings and giving the Buffaloes back-to-back walk-off wins for the first time since August 2007.
The Hawks have lost three straight for first time this season.
EAGLES 5, MARINES 2
Randy Ruiz and Ryo Hijirisawa drove in two runs apiece, and emergency reliever Tsuyoshi Kawagishi (1-1) worked 2.2 innings for his first victory since last June 11 in a home win over Lotte.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
DRAGONS 6, GIANTS 2
Third-year righty Junki Ito baffled Yomiuri -- tossing perfect ball over the first 4.2 innings and carrying a shutout into the eighth -- to lead Chunichi to a win at Tokyo Dome in the rubber game of the series.
Kazuhiro Wada popped his seventh homer in the first, a three-run shot off Hirokazu Sawamura (4-6) who had walked one and hit one to bring up last year’s CL’s MVP with one out. Ito (1-0) was making his first start since last April 11, when the Giants knocked him out after just two innings in a loss.
TIGERS 10, BAYSTARS 0
Akihito Fujii had three hits and two RBIs, including a two-run single in a six-run first inning as Hanshin handed Yokohama its latest beating with a laugher at Koshien Stadium.
The Tigers chased Yokohama newcomer Luis Gonzalez (1-1) from his second start after two innings, stringing together seven straight hits in the first frame. Hanshin’s Atsushi Nomi (4-6) went eight scoreless to earn the win.
SWALLOWS 7, CARP 3
Norichika Aoki tripled and singled with an RBI -- before leaving with a sore left ankle -- and Hiroyasu Tanaka had a hit and two RBIs with two walks as Yakult kicked aside Hiroshima at The Zoom.
The front-running Swallows became the first team to win 30 games and lead the Dragons by 3.5 games.