Just like the weather outside of the relatively comfortable and cool confines of Tokyo Dome, the Yomiuri Giants are starting to heat up again.
Giants captain Hayato Sakamoto set a career-high with a solo home run in the first inning, rookie starter Yuki Takahashi kept the Hanshin Tigers caged for six frames and the Kyojin held on for a 4-2 on Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 45,701 at the Big Egg.
"It's always big when you're given a lead," Takahashi said. "I just wanted to do whatever I could to hang tough with the one-run advantage."