The Orix Buffaloes' pitching depth was on full display Sunday as two of Japan's World Baseball Classic pitchers and a former MLB reliever shut down the Chiba Lotte Marines in a 2-1 Pacific League win Sunday.
Two days after these teams thrilled the nation's fans with a duel between two of the pitchers who helped Japan win March's WBC, Lotte's Roki Sasaki and Orix ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Japan lefty Hiroya Miyagi (2-0) worked 7⅔ innings to earn the win at Zozo Marine Stadium.
Japan reliever Yuki Udagawa got Miyagi out of an eighth-inning pinch before 39-year-old former Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners reliever Yoshihisa Hirano worked a scoreless ninth for his third save for the Japan Series champions, who lost Friday's marquee pitching duel 2-0.