The Seibu Lions hit a speed bump Wednesday night on their way to their first pennant since 1998.
Nippon Ham slugger Sherman Obando drove in four runs with a single and a three-run homer as the Fighters defeated the league-leading Lions 6-1 in front of a crowd of 16,000 at the Tokyo Dome.
It was only the Lions' fifth loss in the last 27 games and reduces their lead to 14 1/2 games over the second-place Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes, who did not have a game.