There were three pitchers’ duels Friday, two of which finished 1-0, one of which was a complete game, and a pair of extra-inning games, where Japan still sees MLB’s Manfred Man as unnecessary.
Friday’s games
Marines 1, Buffaloes 0: At Chiba Marine Stadium, Kazuya Ojima (1-1) allowed four hits and a walk while striking out six to outduel Hiroya Miyagi (0-2), who went eight innings and allowed the only run when Kenta Chatani singled with two outs and Hiromi Oka fouled off two 0-2 pitches before smacking an RBI double.
Dragons 1, Carp 0: At New Hiroshima Citizens Stadium, Sho Nakata doubled to lead off the Dragons’s seventh and broke up a scoreless pitchers’ duel between Chunichi’s Yuya Yanagi (1-0) and Allen Kuri (0-1), when he scored on a the third double play the Carp infield turned behind their starter.
BayStars 2, Giants 1: At Tokyo Ugly Dome, lefty Katsuki Azuma (1-0), voted the CL’s best pitcher last year over MVP Shoki Murakami, allowed a run over seven innings to outduel Shosei Togo (1-1).
Kazuma Okamoto doubled and scored on a Takumi Oshiro single to open the scoring against Azuma in the second. Rookie Ryuki Watarai singled home Takuma Hayashi with one out in the sixth off Togo.
Continue reading NPB news: April 5, 2024