Yoshinori Sato held the Chunichi Dragons to two runs over 5⅓ innings and earned his first win in five years as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows swept their series with a 5-2 win on Sunday in the Central League.
Before 34,840 at Nagoya Dome, Sato (1-1) gave up four hits and five walks, while striking out three in his 98 pitches. The win made up for a beating he took against the Dragons on July 9, when he allowed six runs over five-plus innings in his first game since September 2011.
"I was frankly relieved when the game ended, and I'm a bit overwhelmed speaking in front of the cameras and fans," said Sato, whose parents were in attendance. "I caused lots of trouble for my family too, and would like to present them with this (the winning ball).