Koyo Aoyagi threw six scoreless innings and reliever Atsuki Yuasa saved the day as the Hanshin Tigers won Game 1 of the Central League Climax Series first stage on Saturday, 2-0 over the DeNA BayStars.
The win at Yokohama Stadium moved the Tigers to within one win of a final-stage rendezvous with the defending league champion Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the CL's final stage, starting Wednesday.
The Tigers finished third in the league behind the BayStars, who can still advance to the final stage with a win and a tie as the higher-seeded team.