Interleague Day 8

The CL had one of its best days so far, going 3-1-2, and actually leading the PL in runs scored. The CL is now22-18-6, while scoring 180 and allowing 190.

Giants 4, Lions 3

At Tokyo Dome, Yomiuri won a six-pitcher bullpen game after Kai Yokogawa allowed two runs over three innings. Seibu’s Matt Dermody (0-2) gave up four runs over 4-2/3 innings to take the loss. Giants reserve catcher Ginjiro Sumitani scored twice against his former team, while Zelous Wheeler singled twice, scored once and drove in two. Kazuma Okamoto doubled and hit a two-run single that brought the Giants from behind in their three-run fifth.

Hotaka Yamakawa hit his sixth homer for Seibu, a two-run shot in the third, and Tomoya Mori had three hits but struck out on a pitch out of the zone in the ninth with the tying run on third against Thyago Vieira, who saved his second game.

Giants-Lions highlights

Eagles 3, Swallows 1

At Tokyo‘s Jingu Stadium, Rakuten’s Takahiro Norimoto (5-2) was striking out guys like old times, fanning 10 in six innings while allowing one run. Yakult’s Kazuto Taguchi (2-4) gave up two runs over 4-1/3 innings. Hiroaki Shimauchi’s RBI double put the Eagles ahead 1-0 in the fifth, while Takero Okajima, who contributed a single to Rakuten’s first run, completed the scoring in the eighth with his fifth home run.

Sung Chia-hao retired the heart of the Swallows order in the eighth and Yuki Matsui worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 15th save.

BayStars 1, Hawks 1

At Yokohama Stadium, DeNA rookie Koo Nakagawa allowed a run over six innings, while SoftBank veteran Nao Higashihama did the same and as each team had six hits, three walks and struck out five times. Nakagawa retired Takuya Kai in the sixth with the bases loaded, and three relievers, Edwin Escobar, Yasuaki Yamasaki and Kazuki Mishima did the job from there.

Dragons 2, Marines 2

At Nagoya’s Vantelin Dome, Katsuya Kakunaka ended Lotte’s scoreless stay in Nagoya at 17 innings with a two-out two-run ninth-inning single off Katsuki Matayoshi as the Marines avoided being shut out for the second straight night. Leonys Martin got things started in the ninth with a one-out single.

Lefty Shinnosuke Ogasawara allowed two walks and two singles over seven innings while striking out seven. Marines right-hander Daiki Iwashita pitched out of one jam after another to allow just two runs over six innings. Dayan Viciedo tripled and scored a run in the sixth on a Kosuke Fukudome single.

Tigers 2, Buffaloes 1

At Koshien Stadium, Hanshin’s Fumiya Hojo, making his first start of the season, teamed up with rookie shortstop Takumu Nakano to save the Tigers’ bacon and earn a win for right-hander Takumi Akiyama (5-2). Both players made big defensive stops that allowed Akiyama to scatter eight hits and two walks while allowing just one run over 5-2/3 innings.

Rookie lefty Hiroya Miyagi (5-1) only gave Hanshin two decent scoring chances and they cashed both in with Hojo twice singling in Nakano. The bullpen was solid with Robert Suarez earning his 17th save.

Carp 3, Fighters 0

At Hiroshima’s Mazda Stadium, Hiroshima sparkplug Ryosuke Kikuchi returned from his coronavirus infection with a single and double and two runs, Yusuke Nomura scattered seven hits and two walks over 5-1/3 innings and Ryoma Nishikawa drove in all three Carp runs.

Fighters starter Takayuki Kato (3-3) allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out five. He improved to 2-for-2 at the plate in interleague and drew a walk to maintain his 1.000 on-base percentage.

Hiroshima rookie Ryoji Kuribayashi saved his 11th game, recording his 20th consecutive scoreless inning.

Starting pitchers

Interleague

Fun is in store for Thursday, when former Yomiuri Giants ace Tetsuya Utsumi starts for the Seibu Lions against his old team. In Yokohama, Colin Rea will make his Japan debut for the SoftBank Hawks.

Giants vs Lions: Tokyo Dome 5:45 pm, 4:45 am EDT

Angel Sanchez (4-3, 4.98) vs Tetsuya Utsumi (-)

Swallows vs Eagles: Jingu Stadium 5:30 pm, 4:30 am EDT

Cy Sneed (1-0, 5.79) vs Ryota Takinaka (3-2, 4.15)

BayStars vs Hawks: Yokohama Stadium 5:45 pm, 4:45 am EDT

Yuya Sakamoto (1-1, 4.60) vs Colin Rea (-)

Dragons vs Marines: Vantelin Dome (Nagoya) 5:45 pm, 4:45 am EDT

Akiyoshi Katsuno (3-3, 3.83) vs Fumiya Motomae (1-1, 8.10)

Tigers vs Buffaloes: Koshien Stadium 6 pm, 5 am EDT

Raul Alcantara (1-1, 6.94) vs Sachiya Yamasaki (1-5, 4.02)

Carp vs Fighters: Mazda Stadium 6 pm, 5 am EDT

Hiroki Tokoda (1-2, 3.98) vs Chihiro Kaneko (0-2, 4.50)

Active roster moves 6/2/2021

Deactivated players can be re-activated from 6/12

Central League

Activated

Dectivated

Pacific League

Activated

Dectivated