OSAKA – Mitsuo Yoshikawa dodged bullets to work 5⅓ scoreless innings for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, who defeated the Orix Buffaloes 4-1 in the Pacific League to stretch the franchise’s longest win streak to 15 games.
Before 20,892 at Kyocera Dome, Yoshikawa surrendered six hits and a walk, and hit a batter, while striking out three, and reliever Keisuke Tanimoto bailed him out of a one-out bases-loaded jam in the sixth.
On Sunday, the Fighters tied the franchise record of 14 straight wins, set when Yoshikawa beat the Yakult Swallows 2-0 in Matsuyama on June 8, 2007. In that game, Yoshikawa threw 5⅔ scoreless innings despite allowing seven hits and four walks.
Pat Misch (0-1), who was making his Japan debut for the Buffaloes, survived a leadoff double in the first with the help of some bad base running by the Fighters, but was pulled after surrendering an RBI double and then walking the bases loaded with two outs.
His relief, Sachiya Yamasaki, walked the first batter he faced to make it a 2-0 Fighters lead. Two hits and a throwing error gave the visitors a three-run advantage.
A Keiji Yano sac fly plated the Fighters’ final run in the ninth.
The team’s current streak is the longest in Nippon Professional Baseball since the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks won their 15th in a row on July 5, 2005.
Lions 3, Eagles 1
At Saitama’s Seibu Prince Dome, ace Takayuki Kishi (3-4) allowed one run over seven innings to beat Tohoku Rakuten and earn his first win in roughly three months.
The Lions’ Ernesto Mejia hit his league-leading 27th home run.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
Dragons 13, BayStars 3
At Yokohama Stadium, Chunichi shellacked BayStars player-coach Daisuke Miura (0-1) for six runs in four innings.
The 42-year-old right-hander, making his season debut, did manage to get a hit, marking the 24th consecutive year in which he has hit safely in the pro ranks.
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The Fighters' Daikan Yoh is greeted by his teammates after scoring during the ninth inning on Monday in Osaka. | KYODO
