Record-breaking day for Daiei

FUKUOKA – Kenji Jojima went 6-for-7 with a pair of three-run homers to highlight a record-breaking Pacific League slugfest in which the Daiei Hawks produced 32 hits to humiliate the Orix BlueWave in a 26-7 triumph on Sunday. Five other Daiei players had three or more hits.

A total of 45 hits were produced for the most in a single game in Japanese baseball history, while Daiei’s 32 hits was also the most ever by a single team and 26 runs a new PL record. The former record of 42 total hits was made in a Central League game in April 1986.

“There’s been a few games in which I’ve been held hitless, so I can’t get too excited about just one game. Going up to the plate six times is surprising enough,” said Jojima, who became the first player in the league with six hits in a game since Akira Ogi in 1955.

Lions 4, Buffaloes 1

At Osaka Dome, Chang Chih-chia (6-4) outdueled Hisashi Iwakuma (11-6) for his first win in nearly a month and Kiyoshi Toyoda threw a perfect ninth inning en route to his 25th save of the season in Seibu’s victory over Kintetsu.

Chang pitched a five-hitter and issued no walks over eight innings while Iwakuma went the distance and struck out eight. Alex Cabrera joined Kintetsu’s Tuffy Rhodes atop the PL home run standings with his 32nd homer — a two-run drive — in the third.

Marines 8, Fighters 1

At Tokyo Dome, Koichi Hori hit solo shots in back-to-back at-bats, Jose Fernandez had three RBIs and Toshio Haru went 3-for-5 as Lotte overpowered Nippon Ham.

Michihiro Ogasawara homered for the home team’s sole run.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Carp 5, BayStars 4

Andy Sheets hit a game-tying single and Kenjiro Nomura followed with a two-out, bases-clearing double to cap a four-run fourth inning as Hiroshima overcame a late scare to edge Yokohama at Obihiro Stadium in Hokkaido.

Tigers 8, Dragons 1

At Nagoya Dome, Kei Igawa (13-3) carried a five-hitter over eight sharp innings to earn his 11th consecutive victory for the most wins in the league, and Makoto Imaoka homered in his second straight game as Hanshin crushed Chunichi to reduce its magic number for clinching the pennant to 34.

Atsushi Kataoka went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and eight of the Tigers’ starting nine had at least a hit and took a 6-1 lead through the fourth. Shinya Okamoto (2-2) was chased in 1 2/3 innings and the Chunichi offense could only produce a Masahiko Morino RBI single in the second.

Giant 3, Swallows 1

At Jingu Stadium, Koji Uehara pitched a five-hitter for his second consecutive complete game victory and Shinnosuke Abe hit a two-run homer for offensive support, lifting Yomiuri to a win over Yakult while sending the home team to its sixth straight defeat for the first time in a year.