Right-hander Daichi Takeyasu pitched seven-plus innings and claimed his first win since 2017 on Monday as the Orix Buffaloes defeated the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 6-2 in interleague play.
Takeyasu (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits, a walk and two hit batsmen in the day’s only game. He struck out six batters in his second start since joining the Buffaloes from the Hanshin Tigers during the offseason.
The Buffaloes, who sit at the bottom of the six-team Pacific League, won their fourth straight game and finished the interleague in second place behind the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
“I’m really glad. I tried my best to pitch aggressively and throw like I always do,” the fourth-year pro said. “I think the team has really picked up the momentum, so I want to help the club claim more wins.”
Takeyasu earned his first win in 2017 when he was making his professional debut with the Tigers.
The Buffaloes lineup gave Takeyasu plenty of run support at Jingu Stadium. Shuhei Fukuda led off with a home run against first-year pitcher Noboru Shimizu (0-2) and Shunta Goto tripled in two more runs in the opening frame.
Keita Nakagawa’s RBI single capped a two-run fifth, before Masataka Yoshida’s seventh-inning, solo homer extended the visitors’ lead to 6-0.
The Swallows rallied late, but it was not enough to lift the Central League club to its second straight win. Taisei Yoshida, the Swallows’ eighth pick at last year’s draft, drove in the club’s first run in the seventh and Tetsuto Yamada blasted his 20th homer of the season in the following inning.
Shimizu was tagged with the loss for allowing three runs over four innings. He fanned six but surrendered four hits and two walks.
Source : Baseball – The Japan Times