Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki hit his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot in the fifth inning, in a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.
Suzuki homered to left on a 2-1 sweeper from Royals starter Jordan Lyles to push the Cubs' lead to 3-1 at Wrigley Field. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI in the game.
The second-place Cubs are three games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
"I want to contribute to the team's wins," Suzuki said. "I saw his slider in my first at-bat and knew it would be a tough pitch to swing at whenever he located it well. A fat pitch came when I was looking for it."
Among other Japanese players, Masataka Yoshida went hitless in five at-bats, but his Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the archrival New York Yankees with a 6-5 victory at Yankee Stadium.
The two-time batting champion in Japan's Pacific League struck out three times in a game for the third time this season.