SAPPORO – The Seibu Lions moved a full game ahead of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Tuesday as Takayuki Kishi won his 10th game of the season in a crucial battle between the Pacific League’s top two teams at Sapporo Dome.
Kishi (10-9) allowed two runs in seven innings as the Lions overcame a two-run deficit to beat the Fighters 6-3.
The visitors tied it in the fourth on RBI singles by Jose Ortiz and Ginjiro Sumitani, and took the lead in the sixth on Sumitani’s second straight run-scoring single.
Pinch hitter Hisashi Takayama followed and put the game on ice with a three-run homer.
“Before the game, the position players were talking about getting Kishi his 10th win,” said Takayama. “We said, ‘Let’s get him some runs.’ “
The Lions are currently without captain Takumi Kuriyama, who underwent surgery earlier in the day to repair a fracture in his left forearm. The outfielder, who was hit by a pitch on Aug. 21, will be out for at least three weeks.
“We want to play hard and be in a good position when he (Kuriyama) gets back,” said Takayama.
Kishi, who reached 10 wins for the first time in two years, allowed four hits and four walks, while striking out eight.
Hawks 1, Buffaloes 0
At Fukuoka’s Yahoo Dome, Fukuoka Softbank right-hander Tadashi Settsu (13-5) faced just one batter over the minimum, and Hiroki Kokubo singled in the game’s only run in the first inning as the Hawks beat Orix.
Buffaloes starter Hiroshi Kisanuki (4-8) scattered eight hits and three walks over seven innings but could not keep up with Settsu, who allowed two hits while striking out eight and took over the league lead in wins.
Marines 9, Eagles 1
At Chiba’s QVC Marine Field, Chiba Lotte’s Seth Greisinger (9-6) changed speeds effectively to keep Tohoku Rakuten’s batters off balance as he allowed a run in eight innings to win his third straight start.
Josh Whitesell doubled to open a three-run second inning that featured Saburo Omura’s ice-breaking RBI single and a solo homer by Tomoya Satozaki. The Marines put the game away in a five-run eighth, when they sent 10 men to the plate.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
BayStars 4, Tigers 2
At Yokohama Stadium, Alex Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning off Daiki Enokida (2-2) to break a 2-2 tie in the BayStars’ win over Hanshin.
Yokohama ace Daisuke Miura allowed a run on four hits in seven innings, but right-handed reliever Hitoshi Fujie (2-2) surrendered the tying run in the top of the eighth and got the win thanks to Ramirez’s 16th home run.
Carp 10, Swallows 3
At Tokyo’s Jingu Stadium, Hiroshima returned to .500 with a win over its closest playoff rival, Tokyo Yakult, as Yoshiyuki Ishihara’s two-run, sixth-inning double broke a 1-1 tie.
The third-place Carp increased their lead over the fourth-place Swallows to three games.
Kenta Maeda (12-6) allowed three runs in seven innings, had an RBI double and moved into a tie for the league lead in wins. Seventh-inning homers by Eishin Soyogi and Soichiro Amaya put the game out of reach.
Dragons 5, Giants 1
At Akita Prefecture’s Komachi Stadium, Chunichi’s Tony Blanco returned to the lineup for the first time since he was struck by a pitch on July 8, singling in a pair of runs as the Dragons beat Yomiuri in a battle of the CL’s top two teams.
Chunichi’s Kazuki Yoshimi (11-4) allowed a run on eight hits and a walk over seven innings to get the win, while his teammates got seven hits in a four-run third inning off Giants starter Hirokazu Sawamura (9-9).
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