Yusuke Oyama hit it high and he hit it far. The question was did he hit it far enough? After a wait that seemed far longer than it was, especially for the thousands clad in yellow and black in left field, everyone got their answer.
The ball was gone, the Hanshin Tigers weren't.
Oyama hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the top of the ninth and the Tigers staved off elimination with a 7-6 victory over the Yomiuri Giants in Game 3 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage on Friday night at Tokyo Dome.