TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. -- Sammy Sosa couldn't provide any ninth-inning heroics for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Lucky for them, Mark Grace and Damon Buford could.
Grace started a ninth-inning rally with a solo homer and Buford capped it with a face-saving two-run shot as the Cubs rallied to beat the Seibu Lions 6-5.
For eight innings, it looked like the heroes of the game would be Lions starter Takashi Ishii, right fielder Katsuhiro Hiratsuka and shortstop Kazuo Matsui, who helped Seibu scratch and claw its way to a 5-3 lead heading into the ninth.