The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' pitching staff has looked surprisingly pedestrian early this season.

Even more surprising, however, is the way the Fighters' offense has rocketed out of the gates.

Following Wednesday's 11-5 win over the Orix Buffaloes, Nippon Ham leads Japanese baseball with a .329 team batting average (the Yomiuri Giants rank second at .290) and is second in the Pacific League with 15 home runs.