Shohei Otani became the first pitcher to 10 wins this season after pitching eight shutout innings as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters defeated the Seibu Lions 1-0 on Friday.
Lions ace Takayuki Kishi (1-2) pitched six perfect innings in a duel against pitcher-cum-slugger Otani (10-1), but surrendered the game's only run in the eighth on a safety squeeze.
"There were about three times I lost heart because my location wasn't stable," said Otani, who struck out 10, allowed three hits and issued four walks at Sapporo Dome in front of a crowd of 41,138 spectators.