Rookie right-hander Yasuhiro Ogawa threw his second shutout of the season and won his Central League-leading ninth decision in the Tokyo Yakult Swallows' 4-0 whitewash of the Chunichi Dragons on Saturday afternoon.
Wladimir Balentien stayed on his torrid home run pace in a possible chase of the Japanese single-season record of 55, blasting a two-run drive off lefty Yudai Ono (4-6) with two outs in the fourth at Nagoya Dome.
Ogawa (9-2), who patterns his pitching style after Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, scattered eight hits, struck out six and did not issue a walk until the ninth inning. He escaped a no-out bases-loaded jam in the seventh.