Roki Sasaki struck out eight over six scoreless innings to outpitch fellow rookie Hiroya Miyagi and lead the Chiba Lotte Marines to a crucial 6-1 win over the Pacific League-leading Orix Buffaloes on Thursday.
The win at Orix's Kyocera Dome Osaka moved second-place Lotte to within a half-game of the Buffaloes.
Sasaki (3-2) took the mound in the bottom of the first with a three-run lead after Brandon Laird drove in the first run of the game for the third straight night.