Cuban Yurisbel Gracial scored twice and drove in three runs to pace the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to a 10-5 Pacific League win over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old Gracial, playing in place of injured countryman Alfredo Despaigne, helped pull the Hawks to within 1-1/2 games of the second-place Fighters by driving in the game's first run and belting a two-run, fifth-inning homer that gave SoftBank a three-run lead. The home run was his first in Japan.
"I am batting well right now, I was able to handle what the pitcher threw me and I'm glad I could hit a home run," Gracial said after the game at Kusanagi Stadium, which hosted a famous 1934 game involving American Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.