Iori Yamasaki gifted his outgoing manager one last win with a two-hit shutout as the Yomiuri Giants defeated the DeNA BayStars 1-0 Wednesday.
The win at Tokyo Dome, Hara's 1,291st, the most of any manager in franchise history, consigned the playoff-bound BayStars to start their postseason on the road as the Central League's third-place team.
Yamasaki (10-5) struck out six batters without issuing a walk, while the CL wins leader Katsuki Azuma (16-3) took the tough loss, allowing a run on eight hits in the complete-game defeat while also striking out six and walking none.
Elsewhere, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows walked off 5-4 winners over the recently crowned CL champion Hanshin Tigers, the win lifting the league champs from the past two seasons out of last place.
In the Pacific League, the third-place Chiba Lotte Marines came from behind to beat the league champion Orix Buffaloes 6-3 to take a one-game lead over the fourth-place Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Both clubs have three games remaining.