Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 11 over eight innings in a 2-0 win over the Hanshin Tigers in an interleague game Tuesday.
Yamamoto (6-2) allowed just two hits while walking one and hitting a batter in a 112-pitch outing at Koshien Stadium. Soichiro Yamazaki closed out the ninth for his second save.
The Central League-leading Tigers put a runner in scoring position only once against Yamamoto, loading the bases with two outs in the seventh.
But the two-time Pacific League MVP pitcher got Seiya Kinami to ground into a force out to end the threat.
"I knew I couldn't give up a single run with a good pitcher on the mound for the opposing team," Yamamoto said. "I threw my pitches carefully."
Asked to comment on his sixth win and a league-best 1.59 ERA, Yamamoto said, "My pitching stats are getting better, but the season is only halfway through. I'll try to concentrate on each outing and improve further."
Keita Nakagawa singled in the game's first run in the fourth. Three innings later, Marwin Gonzalez added his eighth home run of the season.
Shoki Murakami (5-3) took the loss after allowing two runs, one earned, in eight innings. The Tigers committed three errors.
In other action, Hiroto Takahashi (2-6) threw his first career complete-game shutout in the Chunichi Dragons' 7-0 rout of the Chiba Lotte Marines. The Yomiuri Giants blanked the Seibu Lions 3-0.
The Yokohama DeNA BayStars beat the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 5-3, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks beat the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 5-1 and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles defeated the Hiroshima Carp 6-3.