The summer in Japan is heating, and so are the Hanshin Tigers.
The Tigers pounced on Yomiuri Giants starter Tomoyuki Sugano early and held on as the Kyojin rallied late to escape with a 7-6 win at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday night.
Hanshin was in first place in the Central League when NPB went into its All-Star break in the middle of last month and has been on a roll since play resumed.