Kenji Jojima connected for his third homer in as many games and Toshiya Sugiuchi pitched seven solid innings en route to his career first double-digit win as the front-running Daiei Hawks edged the second-place Seibu Lions 2-1 in the Pacific League on Tuesday.
The victory in the season's final match-up against the top two teams reduced the Hawks' magic number to clinch its first PL pennant in three years to three. Their earliest possible league championship day is Thursday at Tokyo Dome.
In the key game at Fukuoka Dome, Jojima put the Hawks on the scoreboard with a solo shot in the second inning and then drove in the game-winning run on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh while Sugiuchi (10-8) threw a four-hitter with seven strikeouts.
Marines 8, Buffaloes 5