An approaching typhoon washed out unroofed games in Kansai and Kanto on the first night for Central League teams to host games, leaving just Tokyo Dome, Nagoya and Hiroshima as the only interleague venues.
In Hiroshima, 42-year-old Tsuyoshi Wada started in the hunt for his 27th career interleague victory that would tie him with 43-year-old fellow lefty Masanori Ishikawa, but he was hit on his pitching hand by a line drive off the bat of Ryan McBroom and exited the game early.
“I’m not interested in those numbers, but if it makes others happy, then I’m good with it,” said Wada, who had won his previous three decisions with good run support keeping him from a loss against Orix on May 4.
We also learned Friday that Roki Sasaki’s next start for the Lotte Marines is set for Sunday.
Friday’s games
Dragons 2, Buffaloes 1, 11 innings: At Nagoya Dome, Yuki Okabayashi tripled to open the bottom of the first and scored on a Taisuke Yamaoka wild pitch. Orix tied it against Shinnosuke Ogasawara in the third on doubles by Tomoya Noguchi and rookie Tokumasa Chano, both of whom contributed good catches in the outfield. Ogasawara went seven innings and Yamaoka six.
Jacob Waguespack (2-3) got two outs before rookie Hiroki Fukunaga singled, Dayan Viciedo walked, Okabyashi singled to load the bases and rookie Kaito Muramatsu singled in the winning run.
Fighters 8, Giants 2: At Tokyo Dome, submarine right-hander Kenya Suzuki (5-2) allowed two runs in 5-2/3 innings, Chusei Mannami reached bases his first four times and scored three runs, while Ariel Martinez had an RBI double and a two-run homer for the Fighters. Two nights after his first major league home runs, Gosuke Kato popped his third, and new Fighter Alen Hanson added a pinch-hit homer in the eighth.
Hawks 5, Carp 1: At New Hiroshima Citizens Stadium, with Wada out of the game, Yugo Bando (2-0) pitched out of a second-inning jam and retired seven of the last eight batters he faced. He left with a 1-0 lead courtesy of Akira Nakamura. The Hawks veteran went 4-for-4, and his third-inning single brought in the first run.
Hiroshima native Yuki Yanagita made it 3-0 in the sixth with his ninth home run and singled in the Hawks’ two-run McBroom, who was credited with an infield single when he knocked Wada out of the game, hit his fifth homer in the bottom of the inning.
