Hiroki Kuroda threw eight innings to earn his sixth win as the Hiroshima Carp beat the interleague- and Pacific League-leading Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 6-0 on Friday.
The Carp, last in the Central League, took the lead after Kuroda (6-2) pitched out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the first inning. The right-hander allowed six hits, two walks and hit a batter, while striking out four in his longest outing since he went eight innings for the New York Yankees on July 1, 2014, against Tampa Bay.
"If you can really hang in there, you can get this kind of result," said Kuroda, whose error contributed to the Hawks' scoring threat in the first. "It was my mistake that caused us trouble, but somehow we were able to get out of it."