Sushi time couldn't have come at a better time for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.

Brandon Laird broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run home run to help the Fighters pull even in the Japan Series with a 3-1 win over the Hiroshima Carp in Game 4 on Wednesday night at Sapporo Dome in front of a crowd of 40,599.

"You've only got three more games no matter what," said Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama. "It's been a long season up to this point, and we feel happy to have played until snow fell.