FUKUOKA – Pedro Valdes went 2-for-2 with three RBIs, including a solo homer in the second inning en route to the Pacific League-leading Fukuoka Daiei Hawks’ 7-1 washout of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes on Monday.
Nobuhiko Matsunaka’s run-scoring double broke a 1-all tie in the third inning at Fukuoka Dome and Kenji Jojima added a run on a sacrifice fly followed by Valdes’ two-run bases-loaded double in the seventh.
Toshiya Sugiuchi (9-7) got the win after allowing one run and two hits while striking out nine in seven innings.
The Hawks snapped a two-game losing streak as their magic number to clinch the pennant dropped to 14 while the Buffaloes lost their fourth straight.
Marines 4, Lions 2
At Seibu Dome, Rick Short connected for a two-run double to highlight a three-run fourth inning as Lotte beat Seibu.
The Lions were caught in three double plays and wasted a one-out situation with runners on second and third in the eighth.
Nate Minchey (12-7) picked up the win despite allowing 10 hits in seven innings.
Fighters 5, BlueWave 4
At Tokyo Dome, Angel Echevarria knocked in the game-winner on a one-out single off Hisashi Ogura (3-11) in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Nippon Ham a “sayonara” win over Orix.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.