Right-hander Kona Takahashi came within two outs of throwing his second straight shutout, but had to settle for winning his third straight start as the Seibu Lions topped the Yokohama BayStars 4-1 in interleague play on Thursday.
Takahashi (3-1), Seibu's top draft pick in 2014, allowed four hits and a walk, while striking out 11 in a complete-game effort before a home crowd of 14,224 at Seibu Prince Dome in Saitama Prefecture.
"His fastball was really running tonight," Lions skipper Norio Tanabe said. "He's struck out 20 batters over the last two games. That fastball is something and it makes his fork very effective."