Sorry this is coming out so late, but things happen. Tuesday was a home run night with 14 in 12 games. But because it’s now 2 a.m. and I’m dead tired, I’m going to skip videos and such so my apologies.

Tuesday’s games

Marines 1, Buffaloes 1, 12 innings : At Chiba Marine Stadium, Atsuki Taneichi and Hiroya Miyagi locked horns in a pitchers’ duel with each giving up one run. Taneichi gave up three hits and two walks while allowing a run on Kotaro Kurebayashi‘s first homer. He struck out nine over Miyagi was not as sharp as usual, missed his spots and a couple of fourth-inning singles set up Lotte’s tying run.

Giants 9, Swallows 8: At Shizuoka, Yuto Akihiro broke a 5-5 seventh-inning tie with a two-run double, and Naoki Yoshikawa doubled in two more as the Giants beat up on Yakult’s fourth-pitcher Taichi Ishiyama (3-2) on his return from COVID deactivation.

But on a night when home runs were the name of the game across the country, Yakult narrowed the gap in the home half on a pair of pinch-hit singles and a three-run jack from leadoff man Yasutaka Shiomi. Taisei Ota, who gave up runs in both of his last two relief appearances, put the tying runner on but ended the game by striking out Japan WBC teammate Munetaka Murakami.