Takahiro Norimoto gave his best Masahiro Tanaka impression with a forkball that was working all night and a variety of other pitches that looked just as sharp.
The rookie only made a few mistakes on the night, but when he did, the Yomiuri Giants were there to take advantage.
Hisayoshi Chono singled in a run in the fifth inning, Shuichi Murata added some insurance with a solo home run in the eighth, and the Giants held on for a tightly contested 2-0 win over the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Game 1 of the Japan Series on Saturday night at Kleenex Stadium.