Walking tall …
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Some rights reserved.
(Apologies for the delay -- took a day to go to Sea Paradise)
The BayStars pulled off their first series sweep in two years as Yuki Yoshimura unloaded in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off solo blast as host Yokohama topped the Hanshin Tigers 3-2 on Sunday.
It was the second career walk-off for the ninth-year outfielder, and his third longball of the season. Starter Kentaro Takasaki went seven strong innings, holding the Tigers to a run on six hits with no walks and seven Ks, but Hanshin rallied to tie the score in the eighth.
Takashi Toritani singled home the run to get the Tigers even, but Yoshimura took Tomoyuki Kubota (1-2) deep to left to end the game, giving closer Shun Yamaguchi (1-0) his first win of the season. The righty is unscored upon in 8.2 innings this season.
DRAGONS 6, GIANTS 0
Yudai Kawai (1-1) worked 6.2 scoreless innings and the Chunichi offense caught fire, scoring five runs in the fifth inning to beat Yomiuri at Nagoya Dome.
Masahiro Araki had three hits and two RBIs, and Masahiko Morino hits his first homer in 19 games -- a two-run shot -- to back Kawai, who allowed five hits, four walks and hit a batter but escaped damage.
CARP 3, SWALLOWS 3
Josh Whitesell had an RBI single and Hiroshima's Tomohiro Umetsu uncorked a wild pitch in a two-run seventh as Yakult rallied to tie the score, which remained unchanged before the 210-minute rule kicked in.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
HAWKS 4, FIGHTERS 2
Millions of fans were left needing a tissue -- or something -- from “Handkerchief Prince” Yuki Saito, who left his start after 10 pitches and was deactivated later by Nippon Ham with an abdominal injury in a loss to SoftBank at Sapporo Dome.
The Fighters went through seven pitchers, giving up the lead in the eighth inning on Hiroki Kokubo’s two-run double.
Saito is expected to miss two to three weeks.
BUFFALOES 4, MARINES 3
Yuki Nishi (4-0) became the first Orix hurler since Shigetoshi Hasegawa to win his first four games to start a season, tossing seven strong to beat Lotte in Kobe.
Nishi, the PL wins leader, allowed the defending Japan Series champs three runs on four hits and a walk with a hit batter and a K, and Takahiro “T.O.” Okada’s two-run homer in the fifth proved to be the difference.
LIONS 4, EAGLES 1
Takeya Nakamura socked his PL-leading seventh homer and doubled to drive in two, and Kazuyuki Hoashi (2-1) twirled eight strong innings as Seibu completed a sweep of Rakuten at The Kleenex Box.
The Eagles scored their only run on Toshiya Nakashima’s solo shot in the sixth, the team’s first run in 25 innings. Hoashi scattered eight hits with no walks and four Ks.
[Edited by: jgibson on May 9, 2011 7:27 PM]
[Edited by: jgibson on May 10, 2011 2:55 PM]