Pinch hitter Takahiro Arai tied the game in the bottom of the eighth before Ryosuke Kikuchi blasted a three-run homer as the Hiroshima Carp came back to beat the Yomiuri Giants 4-1 in Game 2 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage on Thursday.
The Carp are now one win away from a trip to the Japan Series after taking a 3-0 series lead over the Giants. They began with a one-win advantage by virtue of having won the league championship.
Hiroshima manager Koichi Ogata lauded his team for gritting its way through a tough battle against a Yomiuri side looking to send outgoing skipper Yoshinobu Takahashi off on a winning note.