The Yomiuri Giants lost a two-run lead on Toshiya Sugiuchi's watch. So it was only natural that the left-hander be the one to put the Kyojin back on top.
Sugiuchi singled in the tiebreaking run in the fourth, and he and three relief pitchers made a slim advantage hold up the rest of the way as the Giants edged the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3-2 in front of a crowd of 44,691 on Saturday night at Tokyo Dome.
"I was very pleased with the way our team played tonight," Giants manager Tatsunori Hara said. "Especially Sugiuchi's pitching and the defensive plays we made."