The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles finally got some bang for their bucks at the plate, and found a surprise hero on the mound in the process.

The Eagles finally turned some of their hits into runs, and a valiant effort out of the bullpen by Kenny Ray helped preserve the lead for starter Manabu Mima as Rakuten defeated the Yomiuri Giants 5-1 in Game 3 of the Japan Series on Tuesday night at Tokyo Dome.

"It feels so good to beat the Giants twice in a row and win on the road," Eagles manager Senichi Hoshino said.