Kodai Senga returned to the mound for the first time in two weeks on Friday, and worked into the sixth inning for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in a 6-2 interleague win over the Yokohama BayStars.
Senga (4-1) looked rusty at the start but found his rhythm before exiting, having allowed two runs in 5-2/3 pitches. The right-hander allowed five hits, a walk and a hit batsman before a full house at Yafuoku Dome. He struck out five in a battle between last year's Japan Series teams.
The defending Pacific League champion Hawks entered this series after opening interleague with a three-game sweep on the road. Senga, who hadn't pitched since May 15 due to forearm stiffness, had also missed much of April with elbow stiffness.