Masahiro Tanaka's unbeaten year continued on Thursday, when the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ace defeated the Chiba Lotte Marines 2-0 to win Game 1 of the Pacific League Climax Series Final Stage.
Before a Kleenex Stadium-record crowd of 24,332, Tanaka's shutout lifted the league champion Eagles to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. As champions, they have a one-win advantage.
Tanaka, who went a record 24-0 in the regular season, pitched a seven-hit shutout — his third complete-game victory in three career postseason games. The right-hander walked one and struck out nine.