Yokohama BayStars manager Alex Ramirez has been asking to see pitcher Shota Imanaga's fighting spirit all season. Once he saw the left-hander escape an early bases-loaded jam against the Yomiuri Giants on Thursday night, he felt like he was going to get his wish.

Imanaga kept the BayStars in control of the game early and was buoyed by another strong performance from the Yokohama hitters in a 6-4 victory over the Giants on Thursday night at Tokyo Dome.

"It was there," Ramirez said. "It was there today. He (Imanaga) showed it right from the beginning. At the end, he was rushing a little bit and getting tired. But he came through. So yeah, it was there. I can see that now he can be the Imanaga everybody is expecting him to be, very consistent, very good."