Rude greeting …

Leach has forgettable debut as Giants win going away

The Yokohama BayStars’ Brent Leach’s debut in Japan was a long time in coming. It was over midway through the game, though, as the Yomiuri Giants blindsided him with a four-run fifth in a comeback win on Thursday at The Big Egg.

The 1.96-meter (6’5”) southpaw allowed four runs on five hits and four walks in 4.2 innings. He fanned four, but uncorked two wild pitches and had a balk as the Giants took the rubber game of the series 9-2.

Leach, was among a number of imports who bolted from Japan in the wake of 3/11, and was later the first player ever to be placed on the restricted list. He needed reinstatement from the league to return to play, but nothing could help him get out of the fifth inning.

Ramirez drove in two in the fifth with a double [his first hit in 15 at-bats] that banged high off the wall -- just inches short of a homer -- to get the Giants even after Tatsuya Shimozono unloaded for a solo shot in the third and added an RBI single in the fourth to give the BayStars a 2-0.

Hisayoshi Chono was 4-for-5 with two RBIs and pinch-hitter Shigeyuki Furuki added a two-run single as the Giants piled up 12 hits to win going away.

First-year import Carlos Torres (1-1) earned his first victory with the club, allowing two runs on six hits and no walks and three Ks in five innings.

DRAGONS 2, TIGERS 0

Enyelbert Soto (2-0) won his second straight start, firing six scoreless innings to lead Chunichi past Hanshin at Koshien Stadium.

Masahiro Araki broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the sixth, and Kazuhiro Wada’s sac fly in the ninth padded the lead. Soto scattered five hits and two walks with a pair of Ks.

CARP 6, SWALLOWS 5

Kenta Kurihara socked just his third longball of the season, a three-run shot that capped a four-run seventh, as Hiroshima came back to top front-running Yakult at Jingu Stadium.

Yakuklt’s Kazuhiro Hatakeyama belted a grand slam in the fifth, and Shinya Miyamoto added a solo blast to give the Swallows the lead before the Carp rallied back. Dennis Sarfate [friend of JBD] worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his CL-best 24th save.


PACIFIC LEAGUE

HAWKS 2, EAGLES 0

Fourth-year righty Sho Iwasaki, who hadn’t won a game before this season, improved to 4-1 by tossing his first career shutout as SoftBank blanked Rakuten at FYJ Dome.

Iwasaki scattered eight hits and two walks, while Hiroki Kokubo drove in both runs with a sac fly in the first and a single in the third.

SoftBank moved a half-game ahead of the idle Nippon Ham Fighters.

MARINES 1, LIONS 0

Jose Castillo’s solo blast leading off the ninth was the only run of the game as defending Japan Series champion Lotte edged host Seibu.

Hiroki Ueno (2-0) got the win, going eight
scoreless innings and frustrating the Lions by getting in and out of jams. He allowed nine hits and four walks. Loser Masamitsu Hirano (1-5) only allowed six hits and two walks, but Castillo’s third homer since being acquired on June 27 pinned him with the loss.