Miyazaki – Saitama Seibu Lions ace Kona Takahashi struck out 11 over eight innings to earn his first win of the season in a 3-0 Pacific League victory Saturday over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Takahashi (1-0), who last year asked the Lions to make him available to MLB teams through the posting system, surrendered three hits and walked two at Miyazaki’s Sun Marine Stadium. He made a good defensive play on a sacrifice bunt attempt after an eighth-inning leadoff double to keep the Hawks scoreless.
“That play on the bunt was a testament to the work I did in spring training,” the 26-year-old right-hander said. “The 11 strikeouts were I think the most for me as a pro. I want to keep moving forward and pile up the wins this season.”
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