The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks stretched their lead over the Pacific League with a 3-1 win against the Seibu Lions on Monday at Tokyo Dome.
Right-hander Shota Takeda (7-2) allowed one run on four hits in six innings to win his fifth straight start and earn a team-leading seventh victory, despite issuing a season-high five walks.
Hayato Terahara, normally a starter, took the mound from the seventh before Dennis Sarfate survived a scare in the ninth to collect his 18th save.
The win gave Softbank a five-game lead over the idle Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in second place. Seibu fell to third, another half-game behind.
The Hawks scored all three runs in the second thanks to Kenta Imamiya's RBI single and a two-out double by Shuhei Fukuda with runners on the corners that plated two more.
Yuji Onizaki pulled a run back for Seibu in the fourth with a bases-loaded RBI single off Takeda, but the Lions would not get closer.
Lions starter Kazuhisa Makita (4-6) was pulled after 6⅓ innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and a pair of walks.
Sarfate had a nervy ninth, letting the Lions reach third but struck out slugger Takeya Nakamura to end the game.
