Hotaka Yamakawa went 4-for-5 with three RBIs as the Seibu Lions overpowered the Orix Buffaloes 10-4 behind 16 hits o Sunday to stay a half-game behind the Pacific League-leading Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
The slugger had three singles and a two-run home run, his league-leading 37th, as every hitter in the Lions' starting lineup had at least one hit to help them claim the series at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
"We're in this position this year thanks to the efforts from our pitchers. The position players will do the job for the remaining games," Yamakawa said after the franchise's 5,000th win in NPB.