Catcher Tomoya Ichikawa belted a two-run home run off his first pro club, lifting the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to a 4-2 interleague win over the Yomiuri Giants on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Ichikawa, acquired in an April trade from the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, was the Giants' fourth-round draft pick in 2009. With the Hawks trailing 2-1 in the fifth inning, Ichikawa came up with one out and a man on against Nobutaka Imamura (1-1).
Ichikawa teed off on the first pitch and drove it well back into the left field stands for his second home run of the season for the reigning Pacific League champs.