Kenichi Nakata and Kenshin Kawakami were the losing pitchers in the Chunichi Dragons' final games of 2006, dropping Games 4 and 5 of the Japan Series, respectively, against the champion Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
The right-handers experienced a reversal of playoff fortune over the weekend.
In Game 1 of the Central League Climax Series' first stage, Kawakami pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball and earned the victory in the Dragons' 7-0 win over the Hanshin Tigers. He had nine strikeouts and zero walks, a statistical combination that makes countless pitching coaches from New York to Nagoya drool.