For one night, it was just like old times for Alfredo Despaigne in Chiba. A monstrous home run, a celebration with Chiba Lotte Marines catcher Tatsuhiro Tamura, and a celebratory "Despa-iine" call-and-response with the fans in right field after the game.
It was almost like he'd never left.
The former Marines and current Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks slugger hit a game-tying home run that banged off the screen below the scoreboard in center in the fourth inning, and the Seibu Lions' Shogo Akiyama drove in current Marines star Daichi Suzuki with a tiebreaking double in the fifth, as the Pacific League finished off an All-Star sweep with a 3-1 victory in Game 2 of the NPB All-Star Series on Saturday night at Zozo Marine Stadium.