Offense finally made an appearance in the Japan Series in Game 3 — after two games dominated by pitching — and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows had more of it.
Domingo Santana struck the biggest blow of a back-and-forth contest with a two-run home run in the seventh and the Swallows held off the Orix Buffaloes 5-4 at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday night.
“I was just going up there trying to get a good pitch to hit,” Santana said. “I got it, I didn’t miss it and the outcome was great.”
The Swallows hosted the contest at the Big Egg due to a scheduling conflict with Jingu Stadium, their home park. That didn’t stop Swallows fans from making up the majority of the 24,565 in the stands on Tuesday. The next two games will also be played at Tokyo Dome.
Yakult has now won two straight after losing Game 1 and holds a 2-1 edge in the series.
The Swallows lost the opener after Orix rallied for three runs against closer Scott McGough in the bottom of the ninth to overturn a two-run deficit for a 4-3 victory.
McGough earned a measure of revenge in Game 3, protecting a one-run lead to earn the save after pitching around a leadoff hit and sacrifice bunt in the ninth. McGough retired Yutaro Sugimoto, who hit a two-run homer in the sixth, to close out the game with a runner on third.
Catcher Yuhei Nakamura drove in two runs for the Swallows and the team capitalized on a throwing error by the Buffaloes for its other run.
Taichi Ishiyama earned the win in relief for the Yakult.
Sugimoto, the Pacific League home run champion, drove in two runs with his first homer of the series, and Yuma Mune and Masataka Yoshida also drove in runs for the Buffaloes.
Relief pitcher Ryo Yoshida took the loss.
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times