Takahisa Hayakawa allowed a run over 7⅔ innings as the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles beat the Orix Buffaloes 4-1 in the Pacific League on Tuesday, ending their three-game losing skid.
Hayakawa (8-5) allowed five hits and a hit batsman without a walk and fanned five in a 100-pitch effort before the home crowd at Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi and was relieved after Yuma Mune singled in the Buffaloes' only run in the eighth to make it a 3-1 game.
"It was a long, long tunnel but I could get through it thanks to many people's support," Hayakawa said after picking up his first win since June 6.