Right-hander Ken Togame pitched 7-2/3 strong innings and Takeya Nakamura went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the Seibu Lions' 5-2 win over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Tuesday.
In front of a crowd of 27,749 at Sapporo Dome, Togame (5-6) struck out 10 hitters while allowing seven hits and two walks.
The Fighters started the day just one game behind the Pacific League-leading Lions. But Nippon Ham starter Naoyuki Uwasawa (7-3) struggled with his command, yielding five runs on 11 hits and a walk over six innings.