Shogo Akiyama broke up a tie game in the sixth inning with his second RBI of the game as a young Japan team defeated Taiwan 4-2 in the first game of their three-game series.
With the game tied 2-2, Akiyama delivered a sacrifice fly that plated cleanup hitter Sho Nakata with the go-ahead run. Pinch hitter Ryosuke Hirata followed with an RBI double that completed the scoring as Japan capitalized on a pair of costly errors by the hosts at Taipei's Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium.
Rookie right-hander Yasuhiro "Ryan" Ogawa, who led the Central League in wins while pitching for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows this season, allowed a run in four innings, while lefty Yudai Ono allowed a run in three innings.