Flame-thrower Shohei Otani logged two 162-km-per-hour pitches but took his fourth loss of the season as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were beaten 6-3 by the Seibu Lions on Sunday.
Otani (1-4) gave up five runs, four earned, in six-plus innings as he struck out 11 and issued five walks in a 131-pitch outing. The 21-year-old gave up a tie-breaking, three-run homer to slugger Takeya Nakamura in the seventh after striking him out in all three previous at-bats.
"I hadn't been hitting when I had chances, so I was glad to hit one," Nakamura said. "I do try to keep concentrated in each of my at-bats and just felt it's finally hit my bat."