Jeremy Hermida unlocked a scoreless pitchers' duel with a two-run triple to help teammate Shohei Otani to his sixth win of the season as Hokkaido Nippon Ham defeated the Seibu Lions 2-1 on Thursday.
With two on and two out in the eighth, Hermida reached across the plate for a 2-2 slider away from lefty Wade LeBlanc and put a perfect swing on it, driving the ball over the heads of the drawn-in outfield and giving the Fighters a 2-0 lead.
"It feels great to contribute to a win," Hermida said. "Shohei threw a great ballgame. It was a great pitchers' matchup. I was just trying to put the ball in play and got it over their heads."