Orix ace Chihiro Kaneko threw a two-hit shutout on Friday as the surprising Buffaloes opened their weekend series with a 9-0 victory over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Kaneko (2-0) struck out five without issuing a walk. The right-hander didn't allow a hit until the Buffaloes were leading 6-0, when Nobuhiro Matsuda beat out an infield single to lead off the sixth.
The right-hander surrendered a one-out single in the ninth, but still needed just 92 pitches to wrap up his win.