Teen pitcher Otani 'refreshed' to play for Fighters

SAPPORO — The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters introduced hard-throwing teenager Shohei Otani to the press on Tuesday after the club kept him in Japan by signing him to his first pro contract.

Formal introduction: Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Shohei Otani meets the press on Tuesday in Sapporo after he signed a contract. KYODO

Otani had announced his decision to turn pro with a major league club in November prior to be being named as the Fighters' first-round draft pick. The Pacific League champions then orchestrated a successful campaign to persuade the youngster to start his career in Nippon Professional Baseball.

"I feel refreshed and I have a really strong desire to do my best," he told a news conference.

The Hanamaki Higashi High School product signed for a 2013 salary of ?15 million with a ?100 million signing bonus and ?50 million in performance-based incentives — the maximum figures allowed by NPB for a first-year pro.

Otani will wear the same number that Yu Darvish wore with the Fighters, No. 11.

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Nakata powers Fighters past Lions

SAPPORO — Sho Nakata has become the Seibu Lions' biggest nightmare. The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters cleanup hitter homered twice on Friday, driving in five runs and driving a wedge into the Lions' pennant pretensions.

The Fighters' 5-0 victory at Sapporo Dome boosted their Pacific League lead to three games over the Lions and lowered Nippon Ham's magic number to win the pennant to four. Nakata's big night came six days after he drove in four runs to lead the Fighters to a crucial come-from-behind victory over the Lions at Seibu Dome.

Nippon Ham lefty Mitsuo Yoshikawa (14-5) allowed two hits and a walk in his third shutout of the season. He struck out seven en route to lowering his ERA to a league-leading 1.71.

Nakata opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer off Ryoma Nogami (8-5), who allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings.

"I just wanted to give us the first lead," said Nakata, who came up with two outs and a runner on first.

In the fifth inning, Nakata once more came up with two outs but this time with runners on the corners. He hit an 0-1 fastball from rookie Ken Togame and drove it high down the left-field foul line for his 23rd homer of the season.

"I got all of that one," the 23-year-old Nakata said. "I wasn't looking for any pitch in particular. I just wanted to take a full swing and hit whatever came."

Yoshikawa who lost to the Lions in the opener of their previous series, barely gave the visitors a chance.

"They made me look bad last time, so I knew I had to turn the tables on them here," said the 24-year-old southpaw, who needed just 95 pitches to go the distance. "It was a game we couldn't afford to lose, so I just focused on taking care of one batter at a time."

"Nakata's first homer gave me a big boost. After he hit his second, I knew it was my duty to go all the way."

The Fighters have five regular season games left to play, while the Lions have eight.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Swallows 6, Tigers 3

At Jingu Stadium, Tokyo Yakult's Ryoji Aikawa drove in three runs, tying the game 3-3 in the seventh with his second RBI single, and Wladamir Balentien hit a two-run homer, his 30th, in the eighth as the Swallows came from behind to beat Hanshin.

The Swallows' victory lifted them 7 1/2 games clear of the fourth-place Hiroshima Carp in the battle for the Central League's final playoff spot.

Giants 3, BayStars 3 (9)

At Yokohama Stadium, Yomiuri's Kenji Yano drew a leadoff walk in the ninth inning and scored the tying run on a wild pitch by Yokohama closer Shun Yamaguchi, who blew a chance to record his 22nd save. Giants right-hander Satoshi Fukuda then retired the BayStars in the ninth to ensure a tie in the 3-hour, 57-minute game.

Hisayoshi Chono brought the Giants to within a run in the sixth inning with a two-run, pinch-hit single. The BayStars' Alex Ramirez drove in one of the hosts' runs with a fifth-inning infield single. Ramirez needs 11 more hits to reach 2,000 in his Japan career. Yokohama has 10 regular season games remaining this season.

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Fighters widen Pacific League lead

SAPPORO — Taiwan international Yang Dai-kang broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run, seventh-inning single as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters defeated the Chiba Lotte Marines 5-2 at Sapporo Dome on Wednesday.

The victory, combined with the Seibu Lions' 3-2 loss to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, increased the Fighters' Pacific League lead to two games. The Marines' defeat dropped them into fifth place, a half-game back of the Eagles.

The Marines tied the game in the top of the sixth on a two-run homer by Toshiaki Imae, but lefty Yuya Ishii (1-1) shut the visitors down in the top of the seventh and the Fighters mounted a rally against right-hander Shingo Ono (2-5) after two were out in the home half of the inning.

Catcher Shota Ono reached on an infield single and No. 9 hitter Makoto Kaneko doubled him to third. The injury-scarred 36-year-old Kaneko then hustled home to score from second as Yang hit the first pitch into center.

"I wasn't looking for a particular pitch," the Fighters All-Star center fielder said after the game in the on-field hero interview. "I just wanted to hit whatever came."

"I owe a debt to Kaneko. His physical condition isn't that good, but he ran hard. If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be standing here now," he said.

The Marines had a chance to tie it in the ninth against closer Hisashi Takeda, but with two on and one out cleanup hitter Josh Whitesell's bid for a three-run home run was caught in deep center by Yang.

Eagles 3, Lions 2

At Seibu Dome, Tohoku Rakuten's Ginji Akaminai singled in a run apiece in the first and third innings off Seibu starter Kazuhisa Makita (12-8), while right-hander Brandon Duckworth (3-1) allowed two runs in 6? innings to earn the win. The Golden Eagles' victory lifted them into fourth place.

The Lions rallied for a pair of runs, but the second infield single of the game by midseason acquisition Kazuya Fujita drove in a crucial insurance run in the seventh for the Eagles.

Buffaloes 3, Hawks 0

At Kyocera Dome, Orix's Lee Dae Ho belted a two-run homer in the first off Nagisa Arakaki (6-5), while three Buffaloes relievers combined with starter Yuji Maeda (2-2) to complete a nine-hit shutout of Fukuoka Softbank as the hosts snapped a 12-game losing streak.

Maeda allowed four hits and two walks over five innings, while former rotation standout Yoshihisa Hirano struck out five batters over the final two innings to record his seventh save. The Hawks hit into three double plays.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Swallows 10, Tigers 4

At Jingu Stadium, Yakult's Yuhei Nakamura's three-run double capped a five-run first inning as every Swallows starter had a hit in a rout of Hanshin.

Converted pitcher Yuhei Takai led the hosts with four hits at the top of the order, while southpaw Katsuki Akagawa (8-8) allowed three runs in six-plus innings while driving in a run with a sixth-inning double. Tomoaki Kanemoto hit his 476th career homer for the Tigers in the ninth.

Carp 4, Giants 0

At Mazda Stadium, Hiroshima's Keisuke Imai (3-8) allowed two hits in seven innings and two relievers completed the two-hit shutout. Brad Eldred belted two home runs and drove in three as the Carp defeated Yomiuri.

Second-year Giants right-hander Hirokazu Sawamura (9-10), making his first start since Sept. 4, allowed four runs in 6? innings. The CL's 2011 rookie of the year gave up 10 hits and a walk, while striking out nine.

BayStars 8, Dragons 2

At Nagoya Dome, Yokohama's Tatsuhiko Kinjo belted a three-run, pinch-hit homer and right-hander Kisho Kagami (3-3) allowed two runs in six innings as the BayStars beat Chunichi to extend their unbeaten streak to four games.

Soma Yamauchi (10-7) started for the Dragons, who have already clinched the second seed in the CL playoffs, and allowed three runs in 6? innings to the last-place BayStars.

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Fighters beat Lions to consolidate first place

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters maintained their grip on the Pacific League lead on Sunday with a 6-2 come-from-behind victory over the Seibu Lions.

Tough at the top: Hokkaido Nippon Ham's Dustin Molleken pitches during the Fighters' 6-2 win over the Lions at Seibu Dome on Sunday. KYODO

Sho Nakata tied the game in the sixth with a two-run homer off Lions starter Takayuki Kishi (10-11), and gave his club the lead in the seventh with a two-run double as the Fighters avoided a three-game sweep at Seibu Dome.

"If I fail to drive in runs, I get aggravated," said the 23-year-old Nakata, who had gone 1-for-8 in the crucial series' first two games which the Lions came from behind to win.

"It wouldn't do for us to get swept because I failed to hit."

The victory put 1? games between Nippon Ham and the second-place Lions, who would have moved into first place with a win. The Fighters' Yoshio Itoi added a two-run homer in the ninth.

Dustin Molleken (2-1), who took over for starter Masaru Nakamura in the bottom of the sixth, earned the win. After blowing late leads for two straight days, Nippon Ham's bullpen was rock solid on Sunday, retiring 12 straight batters after Molleken walked the leadoff man in the sixth.

"They got us the last two days, so the thing today was to not get down on ourselves. We did that even though we fell behind," said Fighters skipper Hideki Kuriyama. "Nakata was the epitome of a cleanup hitter today and the relievers were super."

The Lions took the lead in the bottom of the first, when slugger Takeya Nakamura singled with one out and two on against Fighters starter Nakamura. The hosts made it 2-0 in the fifth, when Shogo Akiyama reached third as a result of a single, a stolen base and an error, and scored on Jose Ortiz's two-out single.

Itoi led the Fighters' comeback in the sixth with a leadoff double. He went to third on right fielder Yutaro Osaki's error and scored on Nakata's 21st homer.

"I was really looking for curveballs (from Kishi) today," said Nakata, who hammered one for a line out in the first inning and pounded another over the fence. "I hadn't been hitting the curve recently, and so I figured I would see one sooner or later. When it came, I really timed it well.

"More than that, however, I was laying off pitches out of the zone. That was something I needed to do and I succeeded at it."

In the seventh, Yang Dai-kang singled off Kishi with one out after fouling a pitch off his left shin. Randy Williams entered and got one out before walking Itoi and surrendering Nakata's two-run double.

The two teams will play twice more, on Friday and Saturday in Sapporo.

"We achieved our minimum goal here by winning two games," said Seibu skipper Hisanobu Watanabe. "A sweep would have been nice, but the guys played their hearts out for all three games."

Hawks at Eagles — ppd.

Buffaloes at Marines — ppd.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Giants 2, Swallows 0

At Tokyo Dome, Yomiuri's D.J. Houlton (12-7) threw seven innings to outduel Tokyo Yakult's Orlando Roman (9-10), and Taishi Ota, the Giants' highly touted first-round draft pick in 2008, hit his first homer.

Roman allowed a run on five hits and four walks over six innings, while hitting a batter, and Giants veteran Yoshihito Ishii drew a bases-loaded walk for the new CL champs in the fourth inning.

Tigers 5, Dragons 2

At Koshien Stadium, Hanshin overcame a two-run deficit to avoid a sweep at the hands of Chunichi.

Takashi Toritani homered to halve the visitors' lead in the fourth and three Tigers singled in a run apiece in the sixth inning.

Tigers cleanup hitter Ryota Arai tied it with an RBI single, Matt Murton brought home the go-ahead run and Issei Morita capped the rally with another RBI single to make a winner out of Randy Messenger (8-11), who allowed two runs in six innings.

Carp at BayStars — ppd.

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Scrappy Lions edge PL-leading Fighters

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — The Seibu Lions moved to within half a game of the Pacific League lead on Saturday, when they came from behind for the second straight day to defeat the front-running Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters at Seibu Dome.

Getting the job done: Lions reliever Shuichiro Osada pitched a scoreless eighth inning to earn the win in Seibu's 5-4 victory over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Saturday at Seibu Dome. KYODO

Trailing 4-0 after the top of the second inning, the Lions completed the comeback in the eighth inning when veteran shortstop Makoto Kaneko dropped a potential double play grounder that allowed the go-ahead run to score in a 5-4 victory.

With the visitors leading 4-3 in the eighth, Hiroyuki Nakajima singled, and Yuji Onizaki laid down a two-strike sacrifice bunt that put two runners in scoring position. Esteban German then tied it with a single off right-hander Hirotoshi Masui (5-5).

With runners on the corners, pinch hitter Chris Carter hit a tailor-made double play ball to short, but Kaneko, for years the linchpin of the Fighters' stellar defense, fumbled it and could only get one out.

"I thought that eventually, I would get a chance to contribute," said Onizaki, who has not had a hit for Seibu since being acquired in a 2011 trade. "I can't say there was no pressure. I did, however, believe I was going to get the bunt down."

Hideaki Wakui came on in the ninth to collect his 26th save.

The Fighters jumped on 39-year-old Kazuhisa Ishii for three runs in the first inning starting with the lefty's second pitch, which Yang Dai-kang drove out the opposite way at the right-field foul pole. Back-to-back, two-out RBI singles from Eiichi Koyano and Micah Hoffpauir made it 3-0.

Rookie Ken Togame was called on to get the final out in the first inning and surrendered a run in the top of the second before the Lions began to get into the game against Brian Wolfe.

Ginjiro Sumitani singled in Seibu's first run in the bottom of the second. Three straight singles in the third produced a run but Shogo Akiyama made an out on the bases and that was all the hosts could muster.

Wolfe allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings, and Yuya Ishii kept the lid on the Lions through the sixth. Seibu, however, scratched out a run in the seventh with the help of an error. Masato Kumashiro opened with a pinch-hit single, was bunted to second and took third on an errant pickoff throw from lefty Naoki Miyanishi.

"We didn't give up when we were down 4-0," said Lions second baseman Hideto Asamura who went 3-for-4 and singled in the seventh-inning run. "We may lose, but we're not going to give up."

Hawks 4, Eagles 2

At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Fukuoka Softbank's Yuichi Honda singled in two runs with two outs in the top of the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie after an error by Tohoku Rakuten third baseman Ginji Akaminai gave the visitors an extra out.

Masahiko Morifuku (2-5), the second of four Hawks relievers after starter Yang Yao-hsun allowed two runs in five innings, got the win. The five Softbank hurlers combined to hold their hosts to just three hits.

Marines 8, Buffaloes 3

At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, Chiba Lotte rookie Takahiro Fujioka (6-6) went eight innings to win his second straight start, and Toshiaki Imae delivered the knockout blow with a fifth-inning grand slam as the Marines sent Orix to its first 10-game losing streak in five years.

Ikuhiro Kiyota opened the scoring with one out in the first with a solo homer off Orix rookie Tomoyuki Kaida (0-3), while Josh Whitesell and Katsuya Kakunaka each singled in a run in the third. Kiyota did the same in the fourth to make it 4-0.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Swallows 9, Giants 3

At Tokyo Dome, Tokyo Yakult sent 13 batters to the plate in an eight-run third inning to hammer Yomiuri after the Giants celebrated winning the Central League pennant the night before.

Toshiya Sugiuchi (12-3) allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings to take the loss, while Swallows ace Masanori Ishikawa (7-11) gave up 11 hits but just one run over seven innings. The win lifted third-place Yakult seven games ahead of fourth-place Hiroshima in the race for the CL's final playoff spot.

BayStars 7, Carp 4

At Yokohama Stadium, Yokohama won consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 21 as Takayuki Kajitani belted a three-run, fifth-inning homer off rookie Yusuke Nomura (9-10). Hiroshima lost a season-high seventh straight game and guaranteed a sub .500 finish for the 11th straight season.

The BayStars' Yoshitomo Tsutsugo had three hits, while Alex Ramirez drove in two runs, going 0-for-3 and not reaching base. Closer Shun Yamaguchi worked the ninth to reach 20 saves for the third straight season.

Dragons 2, Tigers 0

At Koshien Stadium, Chunichi's Junki Ito (1-0) worked 6-2/3 innings in his belated season debut and three relievers completed the four-hit shutout against Hanshin.

Yohei Oshima singled in a run in the second, while Hirokazu Ibata and Masahiko Morino had back-to-back hits in the eighth to set up the visitors' second run.

Tigers starter Atsushi Nomi (9-10) allowed two runs in eight innings to take the tough loss as the Tigers fell 20 games under .500 for the first time in 11 years.

CHIBA — The Pacific League's Orix Buffaloes announced Saturday that manager Akinobu Okada will not be offered a new contract when his current three-year deal expires at the end of the season.

The 54-year-old Okada came to Orix in 2010 after managing the Hanshin Tigers from 2004 to 2008. Hanshin won the Central League pennant in 2005 but was swept out of the Japan Series in four games. The Tigers reached the CL Climax Series in 2007 and 2008, but Okada stepped down after the team fell for the second straight season in the first stage.

The Buffaloes finished fifth in his first year at the helm and fourth last season, but have crashed into last this season. On Sept. 18, the team was eliminated from playoff contention.

A slugging second baseman, Okada starred at Waseda University and was a key member of the Tigers' only Japan Series championship team in 1985. The Osaka native finished his playing career with the Orix BlueWave.

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Reserves keep Fighters in first place

SAPPORO — Needing a win to stay in first place in the Pacific League, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters got a big day from their reserves on Monday afternoon to edge the Orix Buffaloes 5-4 at Sapporo Dome.

Holiday special: Hokkaido Nippon Ham pinch hitter Kenshi Sugiya hits an eighth-inning, tiebreaking RBI single during the Fighters' 5-4 win over the Buffaloes on Monday. KYODO

Pinch hitter Kenshi Sugiya broke a 4-4, eighth-inning tie with an RBI single after the Buffaloes had scored twice in the top of the inning. Closer Hisashi Takeda retired the visitors in order in the ninth to record his 27th save.

With one out and a runner on third, Sugiya's grounder barely got under the glove of diving second baseman Mitsutaka Goto, but it was enough to bring home veteran Makoto Kaneko from third.

"That was awfully close, but it worked out," said the 21-year-old who is 3-for-6 as a pinch hitter this year. "The ball went in just the right place."

Playing for the seventh straight day and with two more to go before their next day off, Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama rested his starting pitchers and regular catcher Shinya Tsuruoka against the last-place Buffaloes and got the win he wanted.

Rookie reliever Toshiharu Moriuchi made his starting debut in his 51st game of the season and allowed two runs in three innings. His start allows the Fighters to go with lefty Masaru Takeda on Tuesday.

Nippon Ham, which started the day a half-game ahead of the second-place Seibu Lions, took the lead in a four-run fourth.

Micah Hoffpauir, Kaneko and Yang Dai-kang each had RBI singles while 20-year-old second baseman Haruki Nishikawa capped the rally with an RBI double. Kensuke Kato, a 19-year-old rookie catcher making his first start, kept the rally alive with a two-out single.

"When Haruki and Kondo got their hits, I was wondering what I was going to do," Sugiya said. "I just sat and waited."

The Fighters loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh but lefty Shinya Nakayama escaped the jam and Hirotoshi Masui (5-4), the Fighters' fifth pitcher, allowed two runs on three hits in one inning.

Veteran Taiwanese lefty Hsu Ming-chieh (0-2), however, surrendered a leadoff double to Kaneko. A sacrifice by Taiwan's Yang forced the Buffaloes to play shallow, allowing Sugiya's grounder to squeak through.

Marines 11, Eagles 5

At Kleenex Stadium, Chiba Lotte won its fourth straight with a win over Tohoku Rakuten and leapfrogged the Golden Eagles into fourth place. The Marines opened the scoring with a four-run, six-hit first inning off Manabu Mima (7-9) and Seth Greisinger (10-8) worked eight innings.

Greisinger allowed three runs, two earned, in the third, but retired the Eagles in order six times. Ikuhiro Kiyota, who nearly scuttled the Marines' first by grounding into a double play before a run had scored, redeemed himself by driving in three runs.

Hawks 2, Lions 1

At Yahoo Dome, Fukuoka Softbank's Tadashi Settsu (16-5) allowed a run in seven innings to win his sixth straight start and his seventh straight decision, beating Seibu to knock the Lions 1? games behind the first-place Fighters.

Settsu, who leads both leagues in wins, allowed six hits and a walk, while striking out eight. Hitoshi Tamura homered off Takayuki Kishi (10-10) in the second with a man on.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Dragons 2, Giants 0

At Nagoya Dome, Chunichi's Masahiro Araki unlocked a scoreless tie in the eighth inning as the Dragons defeated Yomiuri and froze the Giants' magic number to win the CL pennant at five. Araki doubled in two runs off starter Yuki Koyama (2-2) following a pinch-hit double by Kei Nomoto and a single by Yohei Oshima.

Dragons ace Kazuki Inoue left the mound with one out in the fourth inning with discomfort in his right shoulder. Takuya Asao, pitching for the first team for the first time since May 13, and three other relievers completed the shutout.

Swallows 5, Carp 4

At Mazda Stadium, Tokyo Yakult's Hiroyasu Tanaka singled in two runs off Hiroshima closer Kam Mickolio (3-5) in the ninth inning as the third-place Swallows moved four games clear of the fourth-place Carp.

Swallows closer Tony Barnette, who had pitched the three previous days, was forced into action with two on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The right-hander retired pinch hitter Tomonori Maeda on two pitches to record his 28th save.

BayStars 4, Tigers 4 (9)

At Koshien Stadium, Yokohama's Masaaki Koike singled in the tying run with two outs in the top of the ninth, and BayStars closer Shun Yamaguchi retired Hanshin in order in the bottom of the inning to force a tie in the 3-hour, 34-minute game.

The visitors took a first-inning lead on Tatsuya Shimozono's three-run double off Randy Messenger. The Tigers, however, grabbed a 4-3 lead in the seventh, when Takashi Toritani tripled with the bases loaded off BayStars ace Daisuke Miura.

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Victorious Fighters climb back into first place

SAPPORO — Right-hander Brain Wolfe pitched seven scoreless innings, Eiichi Koyano and Shota Ono both had RBI doubles, and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters beat the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 4-2 to regain first place in the Pacific League on Saturday.

Steady effort: Fighters right-hander Brian Wolfe improved to 9-9 on Saturday, pitching seven scoreless innings against the Hawks at Sapporo Dome. Hokkaido Nippon Ham defeated Fukuoka Softbank 4-2. KYODO

Nippon Ham moved a season-high 12 games above .500.

Wolfe (9-9) struck out five and walked none before handing the game over to lefty reliever Yuya Ishii. Hisashi Takeda got the final two outs for his PL-leading 26th save.

The Fighters, who moved a half game ahead of the second-place Seibu Lions, scored two runs on Koyano's double down the left field line and Yang Yao-hsun's (2-2) wild pitch in the second inning at Sapporo Dome.

"We were able to win today in the way we're used to. I am being given chances to hit in situations I know I can come through for our team," said Koyano.

Hitoshi Tamura and Yuya Hasegawa hit back-to-back RBI singles in the ninth, but it was too little, too late for the Hawks, who lost their third in a row.

Marines 5, Lions 4

At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, Ikuhiro Kiyota had a sacrifice fly to get Chiba Lotte within one with one out in the seventh inning and Saburo Omura overturned a 4-3 deficit with a two-out two-run double the same inning off Randy Williams (3-3) as the hosts rallied past Seibu.

Reliever Taiki Nakago (2-1) pitched two innings of one-run ball for the win and Yasuhiko Yabuta had a 1-2-3 ninth for his 23rd save. Seibu's Takeya Nakamura hit a solo shot for his PL-leading 24th home run, but Seibu slipped into second place.

Eagles 3, Buffaloes 2

At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, Luis Garcia's tiebreaking run-scoring double gave Tohoku Rakuten the lead for good in the fifth inning as the Golden Eagles held off Orix.

Kazuo Matsui gave Rakuten a 2-1 lead with an RBI single in the third but Lee Dae Ho, who opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first, hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-2 in the third. Yasunori Kikuchi (1-0) limited the damage to two runs — one earned — on five hits in six innings. Alessandro Maestri (3-2) took the loss for the Buffaloes, who lost their fourth in a row.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Dragons 1, Carp 0

At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Kenshin Kawakami combined with three relievers on a three-hit shutout to earn his first win since March 31, leading the way in Chunichi's victory over Hiroshima.

Kawakami (2-1) yielded just one hit and walked none over six strong innings. Daisuke Yamai got the final three outs for his 13th save.

Naomichi Donoue drove in the only run on an RBI grounder in the second inning against Yusuke Nomura (9-9).

Tigers 2, Giants 0

At Tokyo Dome, Takashi Toritani and Takahiro Arai both homered in support of Atsushi Nomi (9-9), who tossed eight shutout innings despite allowing seven hits to lift Hanshin to its first win this season at Tokyo Dome.

Toritani led off the fourth with a blast to right off D.J. Houlton (11-7) and team captain Arai belted a shot to left-center in the ninth to make it stand.

The CL-leading Giants lost for the first time since Sept. 5.

Swallows 6, BayStars 3

At Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, pinch hitter Kazuki Fukuchi had a game-tying two-run double in the sixth inning and Ryosuke Morioka gave Tokyo Yakult the lead with a run-scoring triple in the eighth in a rally over Yokohama, which saw its winless streak stretch to seven games.

The Swallows' three-run eighth also featured Genki Nitta's two-run single that capped the scoring off reliever Hitoshi Fujie (3-4).

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'Sho Time' delivers Fighters past Eagles

The Hokkaido Nippon Fighters nearly broke through against Manabu Mima after a double by Sho Nakata in the sixth inning.

Coming through in the clutch: Fighters slugger Sho Nakata strokes a two-run double in the eighth inning against the Eagles on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome. Hokkaido Nippon Ham defeated Tohoku Rakuten 2-1. KYODO

That turned out to be just a dress rehearsal. In the eighth, however, it was "Sho Time."

Nakata hit a go-ahead two-run double off Mima late in the game to help propel the Fighters to a 2-1 win over the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Tuesday night at Tokyo Dome.

"I felt like it would be good to swing at the first pitch," Nakata said of his pivotal at-bat. "I'm really happy I could get a hit."

The victory extended the Fighters' unbeaten streak to five.

"We're just taking it one game at a time and will keep doing our best," Nakata said.

Mima had shut the Fighters out for 7 1/3 innings when pinch hitter Takahiro Imanami stepped to the plate. Imanami, hitting in place of Yuya Taniguchi, who ended the top of the eighth by nailing a runner at the plate from right field, singled into center and was replaced by pinch runner Kenji Sugiya.

Haruki Nishikawa hit a sharp grounder near first base and an error by Jose Fernandez allowed him to advance to second while Sugiya went to third. Nakata then got on top of a slider, and the ball bounced over Shintaro Masuda at third and into the outfield, allowing both runners to score.

"Nishikawa had done his best, so I just wanted to get on base by any means," Nakata said.

Eiichi Koyano singled into center to drive in an insurance run later in the inning.

Closer Hisashi Takeda retired the side the ninth for his Pacific League-leading 23rd save of the season.

Dustin Molleken (1-1), who joined the team in July, threw one-third of an inning to earn his first career NPB win in relief. Fighters starter Masaru Takeda threw 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball before leaving after twisting his left ankle in the eighth.

Mima (7-7) was charged with the loss, his first in three starts, after allowing three runs — two earned — on eight hits. Mima struck out eight and walked two.

The right-hander got almost no run support from the Eagles, with the team's lone run coming when Ryo Hijirisawa sent the third pitch of the game into the seats in right.

"It was good I could hit a home run in front of the fans who made the trip," Hijirisawa said, remarking that he doesn't hit for power often. The homer was his second of the season and first since July 29 against the Seibu Lions.

Having been stymied for most of the night, the Fighters showed signs of life in the sixth, when Nakata reached down to stroke a low curveball into center field for a one-out double, bringing Atsunori Inaba, who entered the game with a .343 average with runners in scoring position, to the plate with a chance to do damage.

The threat ended as suddenly as it began, as Mima struck out Inaba and the next batter, Koyano, to preserve the Eagles' slim advantage.

The Rakuten offense nearly paid Mima back in the eighth.

Motohiro Shima led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Reliever Yuya Ishii then entered the game and retired Hijirisawa before walking Ginji Akaminai. Fernandez lined a single into right and the third base coach sent Shima home, but Taniguchi scooped up the ball and made a strong throw to the plate, to nail the runner and end the inning.

Hawks edge Lions

Tokorozawa Saitama Pref. KYODO

Fukuoka Softbank's Kenji Akashi and Hitoshi Tamura hit back-to-back, two-out RBI singles in the 10th inning to make a winner out of starter Tadashi Settsu (14-5) who allowed three runs in nine innings. The Hawks defeated the Seibu Lions 5-3.

Buffaloes 3, Marines 1

At Kyocera Dome, Orix's Hiroshi Kisanuki (5-8) allowed a run in his fifth complete game of the season, holding Lotte to a run on four hits and sending Chiba Lotte to its fourth straight loss.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

BayStars 2, Swallows 1

At Yokohama Stadium, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo drove in both of Yokohama's runs as the BayStars came from behind to beat Yakult and snap a three-game losing streak. Ace right-hander Daisuke Miura (9-7) allowed a run in eight innings, while Shun Yamaguchi recorded his 18th save.

Dragons 10, Carp 2

At Nagoya Dome, Chunichi's Tony Blanco homered twice and drove in five runs, and ace Kazuki Yoshimi (12-4) went the distance as the Dragons beat Hiroshima for the fifth straight time. Yoshimi moved into a tie for the league lead in wins.

Giants 7, Tigers 3

At Koshien Stadium, with the game tied 3-3 in the ninth inning, the Yomiuri bench delivered.

Back-to-back, extra-base hits by Kenji Yano and pinch-hitter Yoshitomo Tani broke the tie and the Central League-leaders went on to beat Hanshin.

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Fighters' Nakamura comes out on top against Hawks

FUKUOKA — Right-hander Masaru Nakamura allowed a run in seven innings on Sunday to win for the first time in two seasons as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters came back to beat the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 2-1.

Fight the good fight: Hokkaido Nippon Ham starter Masaru Nakamura pitches during the Fighters' 2-1 win over the Hawks on Sunday. KYODO

Nakamura (1-0) outdueled hard-throwing teenager Shota Takeda. Takeda (4-1), the Hawks' top pick last autumn, worked six innings at Yahoo Dome and surrendered a two-run homer in the fourth to Sho Nakata as he fell to his first defeat as a pro.

The Hawks, who had scored just one run in each of their previous four games, matched that in the first inning, when Yuichi Honda singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on a single by Wily Mo Pena.

But Nakamura, who effectively mixed an arsenal of solid breaking pitches with a well-located 135-kph fastball, kept the hosts off balance all afternoon. The 20-year-old, who was the Fighters' top draft pick in 2009, allowed four singles and a walk, while striking out six.

The victory was his first since he won his Pacific League debut on Aug. 11, 2010.

"It certainly has taken a long time (between wins)," said Nakamura. "But in the meantime, I have developed, as one can see by how much my command has improved."

The Hawks managed to put two on with two outs against Hirotoshi Masui in the eighth, and Hisashi Takeda in the ninth, but failed to push across another run.

Buffaloes 0, Eagles 0 (11)

At Kleenex Stadium, Tohoku Rakuten ace Masahiro Tanaka threw 10 scoreless innings for the second straight game, but this time came up empty as the Eagles played Orix to a scoreless tie in 11 innings.

Tanaka, who allowed six hits, while striking out 11 and walking none, was followed by Koji Aoyama, who threw a scoreless 11th. Rookie southpaw Tomoyuki Kaida threw seven innings in his first career start, and three Buffaloes relievers finished the double whitewash.

Lions 2, Marines 1

At Seibu Dome, Naoya Masuda (1-2) threw a wild pitch that scored the tiebreaking run from third with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting Seibu past Chiba Lotte for its third win in a row.

Esteban German doubled for his third hit of the night, reached third on a sacrifice bunt and came home on Masuda's errant pitch. Randy Williams (2-2) escaped a two-on jam in a scoreless eighth and Hideaki Wakui picked up his 21st save.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Giants 2, BayStars 1

At Tokyo Dome, Shuichi Murata broke a 1-1 tie with an eighth-inning homer and drove in both of Yomiuri's runs against his former team as the Giants beat Yokohama to become the first team this season with 70 wins. Yomiuri is 8? games ahead of second-place Chunichi.

Murata unlocked a scoreless pitchers' duel with his second hit of the game, an RBI single off Kisho Kagami (2-3), who went the distance for the BayStars. Giants right-hander Ryosuke Miyaguni worked seven scoreless innings, but lefty Tetsuya Yamaguchi (3-2) blew the lead in the top of the eighth.

Swallows 1, Dragons 0

At Jingu Stadium, pinch hitter Kazuki Fukuchi broke a scoreless deadlock with a two-out walk-off RBI double off Shinji Tajima (4-3) in the ninth inning as Tokyo Yakult defeated Chunichi.

Lefty Kyohei Muranaka (8-5) threw a complete-game shutout, striking out two and walking three. Chunichi is winless in its last four games, including one tie.

Tigers 3, Carp 1 (11)

At Koshien Stadium, Ryota Arai saved the night with a game-ending two-run homer off Takeru Imamura (1-2) with two outs in the 11th inning, giving Hanshin a win over Hiroshima.

Ryota, the younger brother of the more well-known Takahiro, hit his 10th home run of the season for a career best. Akihiro Higashide opened the scoring with a run-scoring single in the second inning, but Tomoaki Kanemoto tied it with an RBI single in the fifth.

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Fighter's Olympic omission sparks row

LONDON — The British Olympic Association is asking national taekwondo officials to explain their decision to omit top-ranked fighter Aaron Cook from the Olympic team.

Cook filed an appeal Monday with the BOA, describing the decision to leave him off the team as "incredible" and "ironic." He is ranked No.1 in the world in the 80-kg division and has won more major competitions than any other British athlete in his weight category.

But he has also irked taekwondo officials by abandoning the national British training academy last year. Since going solo, the 21-year-old Cook has won a string of major tournaments, including the European championship title in his weight class earlier this month.

A four-person BOA panel heard the case Tuesday and asked for a meeting as soon as possible with the British taekwondo body to "seek further information and clarification" on the selection process.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, with a decision coming that day or soon after.

Cook described the move as "encouraging." "Thank you to the BOA," he said on Twitter. "The dream is still alive."

The British taekwondo body later released a statement acknowledging it had received a notification from the BOA.

"Competition for places has never been as strong as it is now within our sport and the challenges around selection reflect this," the statement said.

The BOA panel also asked for more information on the head-kick scoring system in taekwondo and how that affected selection. Taekwondo awards the most points for spinning head kicks — a style Cook is particularly known for.

The BOA also said it would seek information from the World Taekwondo Federation, the martial art's governing body.

In a statement on Monday, Cook complained he had been unfairly left off the team, even after receiving support from Gary Hall, the British team's performance director.

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Inaba falls just short of milestone in Fighters victory

Atsunori Inaba eloquently stated that he doesn't play baseball to come up with 2,000 hits. He plays the game to win for his team.

See you later: Nippon Ham's Atsunori Inaba celebrates his home run against Lotte on Thursday at Tokyo Dome. The Fighters won 2-1. KYODO

So instead of regretting coming up with just one hit on the night, the team-first veteran was pleased that one hit ended up being a significant one for his club.

Inaba, who entered the game two hits shy of 2,000 for his career, went 1-for-3 and launched a solo homer into the seats to lead the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to a 2-1 victory over the Chiba Lotte Marines at Tokyo Dome on Thursday night.

After a couple of hitless at-bats in a game tied at 1, Inaba smacked the first pitch from Marines submarine pitcher Shunsuke Watanabe into the center-right bleachers in his third and final attempt to deliver the go-ahead run in the sixth inning. It was also a great birthday present for skipper Hideki Kuriyama.

"I didn't expect I would hit a home run," Inaba said. "But the homer gave us the win on the birthday of manager Kuriyama. That's great. I'm pleased about nothing but the win for the team."

The Marines took a 1-0 lead on a Saburo Omura RBI single off Nippon Ham starter Brian Wolfe in the first. They got on bases afterward as well, but weren't able to take advantage of their chances. Chiba Lotte's night ended with one run on 10 hits.

In the fourth, the Fighters tied the game at 1-1 on a Micah Hoffpauir solo homer.

"We could've allowed five or six more runs, but Hoffpauir changed the flow with one big shot," Kuriyama said of the American slugger, who had been limited to just two at-bats due to an injury this year. "Head coach (Junichi Fukura) told me before the game Hoffpauir is good against Shinsuke and he came up with the result.

"We got the win as a team like that, and I'm pretty pleased about it."

Wolfe (2-1) looked shaky early but managed to not allow any runs after the first. In all, he lasted six innings, giving up nine hits and fanning four on 92 pitches to earn the win.

Kuriyama sent Keisuke Tanimoto, Hirotoshi Masui and closer Hisashi Takeda to the hill in the last three frames. Takeda notched his sixth save of the season.

Watanabe (0-1) seemed better and more elusive than Wolfe, but the two solo dingers he gave up hurt him. Watanabe was charged with the loss.

Though he claimed that he doesn't play records, Inaba said that he felt an extraordinary atmosphere surrounding his at-bats and it gave him some jitters.

"Receiving the cheers, I felt unusual pressure in myself," said Inaba. "I felt the peculiar air at the first two at-bats. So for the third at-bat, I stepped up to the plate trying to think that if I don't hit, I don't hit."

While Inaba sid that jokingly, Kuriyama tipped his cap to the No. 5 batter, who leads the Pacific League in batting average (.384), home runs (four) and RBIs (22), for refocusing after his unsuccessful at-bats.

"While we didn't have the momentum earlier, Inaba revamped and came up with (the homer). That tells the whole story about this guy."

Because the Fighters, the home team, were winning, the bottom of the eighth ended up being their last offensive frame. The inning began with their leadoff man Kensuke Tanaka but the Fighters could not give Inaba another chance to achieve the 2,000-hit milestone.

With Inaba waiting in the batter's circle, cleanup hitter Sho Nakata was struck out by Marines reliever Yuhei Nakaushiro for the third out.

"Right after the game, Kensuke and Sho came to me to say sorry," Inaba said. "But I told them I'm not playing to reach 2,000 hits. But making them feel that way, I feel I'm giving a trouble to the team, so I want to hit it as soon as possible."

The night's homer put Inaba one shy of reaching 250 career home runs as well.

Nippon Ham, which has the best record in the PL (16-8), now moves to Sendai for a three-game series against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

KYODO, — Tomohito Yoeno hit a pinch-hit go-ahead grand slam in the top of the ninth as the Seibu Lions defeated the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 5-3 on Thursday at Fukuoka Yahoo Dome.

With Seibu trailing 3-1, Lions pinch hitter Tatsuyuki Uemoto led off the ninth with a single. The next two batters struck out before Hiroyuki Nakajima doubled and Takeya Nakamura walked to load the bases against Brian Falkenborg.

Yoeno then sent the second pitch he saw to the seats in left to put the Lions on top to stay.

Eagles 4, Buffaloes 2

At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Orix scored the tying run on a wild pitch by Shinichiro Koyama in the eighth inning, and pinch-hitter Mitsutaka Goto delivered a go-ahead single, helping his team end a five-game losing streak.

Tohoku Rakuten saw its winning streak end at three games.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Giants 15, BayStars 3

At Kagoshima's Kamoike Stadium, Yomiuri rapped out a season-high 15 hits en route to a demolition of Yokohama, snapping a five-game skid as it clawed its way out of last place.

Hisayoshi Chono went 3-for-5, and Shinnosuke Abe hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a run-scoring double in the fifth. D.J. Houlton (1-2) gave up three runs in seven hits for his first win of the season.

Tigers 1, Carp 0, 11 innings

At Nishinomiya's Koshien Stadium, Keiichi Hirano hit a walk-off single in the 11th inning to give Hanshin a victory over Hiroshima.

Hirano's single to center off closer Dennis Sarfate (0-2) drove home a runner from second with two outs to end it. Yuya Ando struck out 10 over nine scoreless innings for Hanshin.

Swallows 4, Dragons 2

At Jingu Stadium, Lastings Milledge hit a go-ahead two-run drive in the third inning, and Kyohei Muranaka threw two-run ball over five frames as Yakult extended its unbeaten streak to six games to move into first place.

Tony Barnette got his ninth save. Kazuki Yoshimi (3-2) was tagged for the loss.

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Nakata puts in solid shift as Fighters beat Giants

Masaru Takeda stymied batters over six shutout innings, Sho Nakata went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the cleanup spot and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters blanked the Yomiuri Giants 5-0 on Sunday afternoon.

That's all folks: Ryosuke Hirata hits a walk-off homer to give the Dragons a 1-0 win over the Marines on Sunday. KYODO

Atsunori Inaba got his team on the scoreboard with a leadoff homer in the second inning and Nakata tacked on a RBI double in the sixth before adding another run-scoring double in the eighth, which also featured an RBI double by Yang Dai-kang.

"I was just focused on making a solid impact and moving runners along today. I am very happy with my performance," said Nakata. "It's important that I was able to do my job in the cleanup spot, but more than anything, I am just happy we won. I wasn't trying to swing wildly, just stay compact," he said.

Pinch hitter Kazuya Murata extended the lead with an RBI infield single in the ninth.

Takeda (4-5) yielded just three hits — all singles — struck out six and walked none before handing the game over to the bullpen to close out. Seth Greisinger (1-2) took the loss.

Hawks 1, Carp 0

At Mazda Stadium, Tadashi Settsu threw his first career shutout, striking out eight as Softbank sent struggling Hiroshima to a nine-game losing streak for the first time in 12 years.

Settsu (5-2) allowed just four hits and retired the last 12 batters he faced after yielding a sixth-inning, leadoff single to Akihiro Higashide. Seiichi Uchikawa's RBI grounder off Giancarlo Alvarado (0-1) in the first was the sole run.

Buffaloes 14, Tigers 3

At Koshien Stadium, Takahiro Okada hit a three-run homer in a 3-for-6 outing and Orix broke out the bats in a 17-hit onslaught in a romp over Hanshin to win its fifth in a row.

Swallows 13, Eagles 5

At Jingu Stadium, Josh Whitesell, Wladimir Balentien and Ryohei Kawamoto each homered and Tokyo Yakult punched its opponent's lights out in a 10-run fourth inning in a rout of Tohoku Rakuten, which lost its third in a row to drop a season-worst 13 games below .500.

Dragons 1, Marines 0

At Nagoya Dome, Ryosuke Hirata hit a walk-off homer for the second day in a row, giving Chunichi a win over Chiba Lotte.

Hirata, who hit a game-ending shot in Saturday's win over Seibu, connected to the stands in right off closer Yasuhiko Yabuta (0-2) with two outs in the final frame. Reliever Koji Mise (1-0) got the win.

BayStars 5, Lions 4

At Yokohama Stadium, Terrmel Sledge hit a three-run homer and Brett Harper had a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning as the BayStars pulled out of last place with a win over Seibu.

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