Igawa pulled after injury in Buffaloes debut

KOBE — Left-hander Kei Igawa made his first start back in Japan in six years, but the New York Yankee throwaway left early with an injury in the Orix Buffaloes' 1-0 defeat to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks on Wednesday.

He's back: Kei Igawa's debut with the Orix Buffaloes was cut short by an injury. KYODO

Softbank starter Kenji Otonari (3-2) threw 6? scoreless innings before the game was handed over to the bullpen. He struck out eight and walked one. Brain Falkenborg fanned three in the ninth for his 13th save.

Igawa (0-1) yielded one run in 3? innings while striking out three and walking one at Hotto Motto Field Kobe.

It was Igawa's first time back pitching for a Japanese team since Oct. 16, 2006, when he pitched for the Hanshin Tigers in a game against the Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium

Kenji Akaishi poked a grounder off Igawa between third and shortstop with runners at the corners to score the sole run with one out in the third.

"I had a chance, and I tried to be aggressive," said Akaishi, who has hit in seven consecutive games. "The ball went in a perfect location."

In December, 2006, the Yankees signed Igawa to a five-year, $20 million contract after winning the exclusive negotiating rights with a $26 million bid under the posting system.

But he ended up winning just two games (with four losses) and spent most of his time in the minor leagues, turning out to be a major bust on the Yankee's payroll before his contract expired last year.

Marines 4, Fighters 1

At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, Shunsuke Watanabe gave up one run over five innings despite scattering seven hits, and Chiba Lotte beat Hokkaido Nippon Ham in a game that was called in the bottom of the fifth due to rain.

Tadahito Iguchi sparked a three-run first against Brain Wolfe (2-3) with a one-out, run-scoring single, and Kazuya Fukuura added an RBI single in the third. Micah Hoffpauir homered in the fifth for Nippon Ham.

Eagles 1, Lions 0

At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Takashi Kawai (1-0) went 6? scoreless innings, Asahisa Makida hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Tohoku Rakuten edged Seibu to snap a three-game skid.

Koji Aoyama escaped a two-on jam in the ninth for his first save this season. Takayuki Kishi (3-3) limited the damage to one run in eight innings but took the loss.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Giants 8, BayStars 5

At Tokyo Dome, D.J. Houlton tossed two-run ball over seven innings, Yoshitomo Tani hit a three-run homer, and Yoshinobu Takahashi went 3-for-4 with two RBIs as Yomiuri ended Yokohama's unbeaten streak at five games.

Shuichi Murata had a game-tying single and Takahashi gave Yomiuri the lead with a single of his own in the third. Tani went deep off Giancarlo Alvarado (1-4) to make it 6-2 in the fifth.

Dragons 8, Swallows 3

Tigers 6, Carp 2

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