Eigoro Mogi's three-run homer off Kodai Senga iced the game for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in a 7-1 win over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Before a late Tuesday afternoon crowd of 26,162 in the Eagles' home opener at Kobo Park Miyagi, the Pacific League's two unbeaten teams and a pair of World Baseball Classic pitchers went head to head, but Rakuten's Takahiro Norimoto (1-0) got the better of that duel, allowing a run in six innings to earn the win.
"I was just thinking about winning," Norimoto said. "I wanted to go a little longer but I was able to pitch out of trouble. Our batters are really playing with a lot of heart. Senga was really good at the start but our guys kept battling."