Slugging ace Shohei Otani hit a record 163 kph on his fastball, extended his hitting streak to 15 games and went the distance for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in a 6-2 interleague win over the Yomiuri Giants on Sunday.
In front of a Tokyo Dome crowd of 46,239, Otani (4-4) allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits and two walks, while striking out 10. Despite having passed 100 pitches and leading comfortably, Otani was allowed to pitch the ninth, when he surrendered his second run on a double, a walk and an error.
"I had a better feel for the ball in the later innings," said Otani, who gave away the Giants' final run when he neglected to cover first base and shortstop Takuya Nakashima was charged with a throwing error.