The Yomiuri Giants hit three homers for all their runs to defeat the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 5-2 on Friday, making the Hiroshima Carp wait at least another day to claim the Central League title.
With the magic number at one, a Yomiuri defeat at Jingu Stadium would have seen the pennant go to idle Hiroshima for the first time in 25 years, but the Giants got off to a strong start, with Hisayoshi Chono going deep off the very first pitch from Yakult's Kyle Davies (4-4).
The right-hander allowed two more singles and Shuichi Murata hit a three-run homer with one out to give the Giants more breathing space and a 4-0 lead in the first. Yoshiyuki Kamei also hit a solo shot in the fourth off reliever Masato Nakazawa.