Naoyuki Tateishi threw a two-hitter over eight innings Tuesday and Makoto Kaneko hit a two-run homer as the Nippon Ham Fighters broke into the win column with a 3-2 triumph over the Lotte Marines at Chiba Marine Stadium.
| Pacific League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Daiei | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | - |
| Kintetsu | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | - |
| Lotte | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | - |
| Nippon Ham | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1.0 |
| Orix | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1.0 |
| Seibu | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1.0 |
Yutaka Nakamura came up with a two-out single in the top of the ninth inning to chase in the go-ahead run for the Fighters and Carlos Mirabal was perfect in the bottom of the frame for the save to give Nippon Ham its first win of the Pacific League season.
Frank Bolick smacked a solo home run for the Marines, but Lotte failed in its bid to win three in a row to start the season for the first time in 44 years.
Hawks 4, Buffaloes 0
At the Osaka Dome, five Daiei pitchers combined to scatter seven hits over nine innings as the defending PL champion Hawks posted their second straight shutout by beating host Kintetsu.
Daiei starter Junji Hoshino allowed only three hits over five innings of work for the victory, while Tadahito Iguchi collected a pair of RBIs with two hits.
Lions 10, BlueWave 5
At Green Stadium Kobe, Seibu roared with 17 hits, including a three-run homer by newcomer Alex Cabrera, to beat Orix for its first win of the season.
With the Lions up 7-4 in the sixth inning, Cabrera, formerly of the Arizona Diamondbacks, hit his first roundtripper in Japan off one-time Detroit Tiger Masao Kida.
Seibu rookie southpaw Kazuyuki Hoashi, who relieved starter Yukihiro Nishizaki in the first inning, earned the win by striking out six in 41/3 innings.
Obando breaks foot
Nippon Ham Fighters slugger Sherman Obando broke a bone in his left foot Tuesday after hitting a pitch off his foot in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Lotte Marines in Chiba, officials of the Pacific League club said.
Doctors at a hospital in nearby Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, said the injury will require more than one month to heal. A more detailed examination of the foot is scheduled for Wednesday.
Obando apparently struck his foot with a hit in the first inning, but continued to play until the fourth inning when the pain forced him to be substituted in left field.
Obando hit 30 home runs last season and drove in 101 runs and was expected to be a big part of the Fighters “Big Bang” lineup this season -- his third in Japan.
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