The league leaders fired warning shots over the bows of their pursuers on Sunday as both the Pacific League’s SoftBank Hawks and the Central League’s Yomiuri Giants won lopsided games to avoid being swept at home.
Central League
Giants 16, Tigers 4
At Tokyo Dome, Alex Guerrero and Ginjiro Sumitani each hit grand slams for Yomiuri as right-hander Toshiki Sakurai (5-1) watched as his teammates overturned a 1-0 first-inning deficit with seven runs in the bottom of the first.
Sakurai struck out six while allowing three runs over seven innings.
Former Chicago Cub Kosuke Fukudome homered for the Tigers, becoming the 42nd player in Japan to score 1,000 runs.
Game highlights are HERE.
Dragons 4, BayStars 2
At Nagoya Dome, two streaks were snapped as lefty Kotaro Kasahara (3-1), in his second start back from a three-month injury layoff, allowed two runs over six innings.
Three of Chunichi’s runs came on sacrifice flies, as did one of DeNA’s — when the BayStars loaded the bases in the sixth with no outs. Neftali Soto, last year’s CL home run leader drove in that run and also hit his 27th home run.
The Dragons’ win snapped an eight-game losing streak, while the BayStars had pushed into second place on the back of a seven-game win streak.
Carp 12, Swallows 5
At Jingu Stadium, Allen Kuri (5-5) allowed two runs over seven innings, while 19-year-old rookie Kaito Kozono went 3-for-4 with a homer, a walk, two runs and two RBIs as Hiroshima smashed Yakult.
The Carp’s eight-game win streak is now their second-longest of the season and ties the SoftBank Hawks for NPB’s second longest.
Pacific League
Hawks 9, Buffaloes 2
At Yafuoku Dome, SoftBank’s Cuban lefty Ariel Miranda (4-3) won for the first time since May 19 with six shutout innings, while Orix’s Daichi Takeyasu suffered his first career defeat. The rookie, who was acquired as free agent compensation from the Hanshin Tigers, fell to 2-1 after surrendering seven runs on seven hits and a walk over two-plus innings.
After the game, Orix manager Norifumi Nishimura blamed Takeyasu’s lack of control and the inability to bunt in the top of the first after the leadoff man reached as the key factors in the loss. This led me to do some quick research HERE.
Seiichi Uchikawa, one of two players to win batting championships in each league, had his 350th career double in the first inning. he’s fourth among active players. The others are Kosuke Fukudome (389), Kazuya Fukuura (388), and Shinnosuke Abe (353).
Game highlights are HERE.
Marines 4, Eagles 3
At Zozo Marine Stadium, Seiya Inoue walked three times, scored twice himself and contributed to the winning run by drawing a leadoff walk in the ninth. Pinch-runner Hiromi Oka stole second, was sacrificed to third and scored on an Ikuhiro Kiyota’s sac fly as Lotte beat Rakuten.
Game highlights are HERE.
Lions 8, Fighters 7, 10 innings
At MetLife Dome, Seibu closer Tatsushi Masuda surrendered a three-run, game-tying homer in the ninth to Kensuke Kondo, but Fumikazu Kimura singled in the 10th and scored from first base on a throwing error by Nippon Ham shortstop Takuya Nakashima.
Lions starter Zach Neal appeared set for the win having allowed three runs over seven innings while striking out seven, while Deunte Heath (1-2) did get the decision after striking out two in a 1-2-3 10th.
Japan home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa, one of the Lions who didn’t go deep in Saturday’s six-home run loss to Nippon Ham, hit his 31st homer and drove in four runs for the Lions.
Game highlights are HERE.
