Third-year reliever Kazutomo Iguchi bailed out the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the eighth inning to help them scrape out a 7-5 win over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.
Before 30,927 at Sapporo Dome, Iguchi (1-1) entered a tie game with two outs and two on to face Hawks captain Seiichi Uchikawa. Iguchi got the veteran to swing at a two-strike fastball on the outer edge of the zone resulting in a weak grounder back to the mound.
"I just focused on that batter and trying to get him out. This is my third year as a pro, so there's not a lot to say about this being my first win, but I am grateful I was used in a game we had been winning," Iguchi said.