SAPPORO — The series is only tied at 1-1. But the Fighters have seriously got to find a way to play their trademark brand of ball.

Which means? To rely on strong pitching and great defense, and capitalize on subtle things such as walks, bunts and steals on offense to win games.

After being helped by a spectacular 13-strikeout performance by ace hurler Yu Darvish in Game 1, defending Japan Series champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham took a hard 8-1 loss to the Chunichi Dragons in Game 2 on Sunday.