Tomoyuki Sugano worked 7-1/3 scoreless innings to earn his eighth victory on Saturday as the Yomiuri Giants held on to beat the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 3-1 in an interleague rematch of last year's Japan Series contestants.
Yoshiyuki Kamei's ground RBI single broke a scoreless tie with two outs in the eighth inning and propelled the Giants to victory before a crowd of 23,445 at the Pacific League champions' home park, Kobo Stadium Miyagi.
Rakuten sent Japan Series MVP Manabu Mima to the mound to face Sugano, who was 1-1 in last year's Japanese Fall Classic. Sugano (8-2) allowed three hits and two walks, while striking out four. It was the fifth straight win for the Central League-leading Giants.