Tomoyuki Sugano threw a two-hit shutout on Wednesday as the Yomiuri Giants beat the Hanshin Tigers 2-0 and moved within a hair of third place in the Central League.
Sugano (16-5) faced just one batter over the minimum in a 110-pitch effort. He struck out six without a walk as a lot of Tigers hitters tried to jump on his first pitches.
"In my last outing (also against Hanshin), I surrendered runs early and so I was extra careful at the start tonight," Sugano said after the victory at historic Koshien Stadium outside Osaka. "It's not that different from the way other teams approach me. I tend to challenge batters with the first pitch."