Wataru Karashima pitched seven scoreless innings as the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles defeated the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 3-1 on Tuesday for their third straight win.
Karashima (1-0) limited the Fighters to three hits and two walks, while striking out eight in the Eagles' first home game of the season at Rakuten Seimei Park. The game was delayed for about 20 minutes in the first inning due to heavy snow.
He opened with a 1-2-3 first but pitched into a jam in the following inning, when he put two batters on base with no outs. But the 28-year-old got the next three hitters to fly out.