Shohei Otani went 3-for-5 and rookie Takayuki Kato worked six innings on Sunday as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters beat the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 4-2 to salvage the final game of their three-game series.
Kato (5-1) survived a first-inning scare when Akira Nakamura was thrown out trying to score on a delayed, two-out double steal to allow just two runs over six innings. The lefty gave up four hits and issued two walks, while striking out three.
"I was able to reliably execute my fastballs today and I think that was the best thing," said the 24-year-old Kato, who was Nippon Ham's second draft pick last autumn.