Winging it …
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Some rights reserved.
The sputtering Rakuten Eagles seem like they’re flapping one wing.
But that wing carried them on Friday night at the Kleenex Box. The right arm of Masahiro “Ma-kun” Tanaka, who took it to a higher level to beat hometown hero Yoshinori Sato, scattered nine hits while punching out a career-high 15 as Rakuten earned 2-1 win over the Yakult Swallows, its first in interleague.
The fifth-year hurler helped the Eagles win for the second time since May 13. Tanaka said he had extra motivation for wanting to beat Sato and the Swallows.
“There’s a reason I had to win this game today,” Tanaka (3-1) said. “[Pitcher Satoshi] Nagai’s child was born today and I promised him I would win and present him with the game ball. I’m glad I was able to come through,” said Tanaka, who fanned a batter in every inning and fired 143 pitches.
The Swallows put up a run in the opening inning but Eagles got even on Masato Nakamura’s scoring flyball. The mound men took over, Sato matching Tanaka with zeros until Teppei Tsuchiya doubled home the go-ahead run in the eighth.
Sato (4-2), a native of Sendai, allowed seven hits and two walks with five Ks over the distance.
The PL won four games….
DRAGONS 6, LIONS 5
Takahiro Saeki shook off the cobwebs and put together his first four-hit game since July 16, 2007, capping the night with a clutch go-ahead two-run single in a six-run ninth inning as Chunichi rallied for a stunning come-from-behind win over host Seibu.
Saeki played at first in his first start since moving to Chunichi in the offseason and doubled to start the ninth, in which the Dragons sent 11 men to the plate. He slapped a single to left to plate a pair as the Dragons took advantage of three walks and five hits.
BAYSTARS 2, MARINES 0
Shuichi Murata’s two-run blast (his career interleague-leading 40th) in the seventh provided the only scoring, and five Yokohama hurlers combined on a two-hitter as the CL’s last-place team earned a victory over reigning Series champion Lotte at The Q.
Rookie right-hander Kota Suda went the first 5.1 innings, Shinji Ohara (2-0) bagged the win by getting an inning-ending double play with the bases in the sixth, and Shigeki Ushida and Shintaro Ejiri each worked perfect innings before closer Shun Yamaguchi slammed the door in the ninth for his eighth save.
It was Yokohama’s first shutout win of the season and snapped a six-game skid.
FIGHTERS 3, GIANTS 1
Bobby Keppel (4-0) fired eight scoreless innings and Eiichi Koyano drove in all three runs as Nippon Ham's Double-K duo took care of Yomiuri at Sapporo Dome.
Keppel induced 16 groundouts, scattered four hits and two walks, while hitting a batter and fanning two to keep his record perfect in six starts. Koyano went 3-for-4, doubling in two in the third inning and adding an RBI double in the fifth to provide all the support Keppel needed.
HAWKS 4, TIGERS 0
Hiroki Yamada (4-1) tossed a four-hitter for his first pro shutout, and Munenori Kawasaki had a pair of RBI triples as SoftBank blanked Hanshin at FYJ Dome.
BUFFALOES 3, CARP 2
Takahiro “T.O.” Okada’s one swing, a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning, pushed host Orix past Hiroshima at Kyocera Dome.