Orix ace Chihiro Kaneko allowed a run over six innings Wednesday, winning his first game of the season in a 5-2 victory over the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Kaneko (1-4), the Sawamura Award and Pacific League MVP from 2014, allowed an unearned run on two hits and two walks. He struck out six.
Buffaloes leadoff man Yuki Miyazaki helped stake Kaneko to a 2-0, fifth-inning lead before the right-hander had even allowed a hit. Miyazaki opened the first against Manabu Mima (0-5) with a double, was sacrificed to third and scored on an error.