Hokkaido Nippon Ham hurler Shohei Otani struck out nine while giving up one run — a solo homer — over six innings in his fourth start this season as the Fighters defeated the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 6-4 on Thursday.
Otani (2-2) allowed five hits and struggled with his control as he issued five walks during his 108-pitch outing as representatives from 17 major league ballclubs watched the right-hander at Sapporo Dome.
"There was nothing good about my pitching today," said the 23-year-old who surpassed 100 tosses for the first time this year, his fastball topping out at 162 kph. "I will learn from my mistakes and make adjustments for next time."