Brandon Laird's eighth-inning home run unlocked a tied game Sunday as the Chiba Lotte Marines edged the Orix Buffaloes 6-5 in the Pacific League for their eighth straight win.
Leading off the bottom of the eighth after the Buffaloes tied the game 5-5 in the top of the inning, Laird took a fat pitch and just got it over the wall in center for his fifth home run of the year. The blast came off Hirotoshi Masui, who had been Laird's teammate in their days with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
Because the PL's six teams are spread across Japan, the league has scheduled six-game series to reduce travel during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Lotte's win completed a six-game sweep.