Ace pitcher Shohei Otani gave himself a first-inning lead with a leadoff homer and made it stand up for eight innings on Sunday to lead the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to their 10th straight victory, a 2-0 win over the Pacific League champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Otani (8-4) allowed five hits and two walks, while striking out 10 to win his seventh straight start. He has not allowed a run in his last 30 innings.

Batting in the leadoff spot, Otani hit the game's first pitch from Kenichi Nakata (3-2) well over the wall in right-center for his 10th homer of the season and his first since May 31. It was Otani's first career homer in a game that he also pitched.