Taisuke Yamaoka threw eight shutout innings as the Orix Buffaloes outlasted the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 1-0 in the Pacific League on Tuesday.
The right-hander struck out 10, while issuing four hits and a walk, as he combined with closer Brandon Dickson to blank the Eagles at Kyocera Dome.
Yamaoka (7-2) outdueled Rakuten starter Takahiro Norimoto, who conceded the go-ahead run in his opening frame before keeping the Buffaloes hitless through the remainder of seven innings.