Yuki Matsumoto earned his first win of the season behind a six-home run barrage as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks beat the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 11-5 on Sunday afternoon.
The Hawks, third in the Pacific League, improved their record against the second-place Fighters this season to 8-11 as Matsumoto, SoftBank's top draft pick in 2014, allowed three runs over 5⅔ innings. The right-hander allowed six hits while walking four and striking out five.
Matsumoto (1-0) gave up the game's first run in the top of the first when Oswaldo Arcia hit his 13th home run of the season, but the Hawks' hitters made sure he didn't trail for long.