Shun Yamaguchi held the Hiroshima Carp to a run on seven hits as the right-hander went the distance in the struggling Yokohama BayStars' 7-1 win on Sunday.
Yamaguchi (2-1) struck out five while issuing a walk and a hit batsman each in a 119-pitch outing, allowing his only run in the bottom of the first inning on a Takahiro Arai RBI single after being handed an early three-run lead.
"I concentrated on facing one batter at a time. The offense got me runs from the first inning and made it easy for me to pitch and I'm thankful for that," Yamaguchi said. "The relievers have been pitching a lot lately so I'm glad I could give them some rest too."