Yoshio Itoi capped a solid evening with an eighth-inning, tiebreaking home run that lifted the Hanshin Tigers to a 3-2, come-from-behind victory over the Yomiuri Giants on Thursday.
Itoi had twice singled with a runner in scoring position, but some solid defense by the Giants kept him from getting a first-inning RBI against right-hander Shun Yamaguchi. He singled again with one out in the sixth with the Tigers trailing 2-1 only for the inning to end with a double play before the visitors could tie it.
Yamaguchi did, however, surrender the tying run in the seventh, when Efren Navarro went deep. Yamaguchi, who allowed seven hits and three walks had been in hot water much of the evening, but allowed just two runs.