Michihiro Ogasawara, Edgardo Alfonzo and Yoshitomo Tani all homered Saturday as the Yomiuri Giants routed the Chiba Lotte Marines 7-1 in the first preseason game for manager Tatsunori Hara in his return from the World Baseball Classic.
Veteran slugger Ogasawara, a member of the WBC-winning Japan team, gave Yomiuri a 1-0 lead with a shot over the wall in left-center in the first inning and Alfonzo hit his second home run of the spring to make it 2-0 in the fourth at Tokyo Dome.
During pregame batting practice, Hara was congratulated by players such as former major league second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, who ended a six-game hitless streak with a 2-for-3 performance for the Marines.