Kazuhiro Kiyohara and Yoshinobu Takahashi both hit three-run homers and Hiroki Kokubo chipped in with a solo blast as the first-place Yomiuri Giants routed the Chunichi Dragons 9-3 in the Central League on Thursday.

News photoKazuhiro Kiyohara of Yomiuri hits an RBI single to center in the eighth inning on Thursday at Tokyo Dome. The Giants beat the Chunichi Dragons 9-3.

Kiyohara delivered a shot off Masahiro Yamamoto (3-2) in the fourth to put the Giants ahead 3-1 as a crowd of 55,000 went into a frenzy at Tokyo Dome. Kiyohara added a single in the eighth to leave him just one shy of his 2,000th career hit.