TOKOROZAWA, SAITAMA PREF. – Yasuo Sano threw four innings in an emergency start, then Kyle Martin added three innings of relief as the Seibu Lions shut out the Yomiuri Giants 4-0 in interleague play on Tuesday.
Sano made his first start of the season after scheduled starter Tatsuya Imai developed a fever. The lefty needed just six pitches to dispatch the Giants 1-2-3 in the first and allowed just one hit and one walk, while striking out two.
Fellow reliever Martin walked two and hit a batter, but also struck out four to strand the potential tying run at second in the top of the sixth inning.
“It was awesome to see ‘Snow’ (Sano) dominate the zone and get quick outs,” said Martin (2-3), who was asked to go back out for the seventh with a 4-0 lead, although it appeared it might have been one inning too many.
After hitting the first batter, Martin surrendered a drive to the warning track that was hauled in by left fielder Yuji Kaneko. After a double put runners on second and third, Martin struck out two straight batters to get out of the inning.
“I did my best, and had (catcher Tomoya) Mori back there getting me through it,” he said.
The Lions opened the scoring on two first-inning singles off Nobutaka Imamura (1-1) and an error on center fielder Yoshihiro Maru. Hotaka Yamakawa and Mori, who singled in the first, set the table in a three-run sixth inning with back-to-back, no-out singles. Takeya Nakamura doubled to drive in one, and Ernesto Mejia singled in two more.
Eagles 3, Swallows 1
At Fukushima Prefecture’s Koriyama Kaiseizan Stadium, Jabari Blash broke up a scoreless game with a with two-run, two-out, third-inning single, while Takahiro Shiomi (3-0) allowed a run over seven innings to earn the win as Tohoku Rakuten downed Tokyo Yakult.
Fighters 5, Carp 4
BayStars 6, Marines 3
Dragons 2, Buffaloes 1
Tigers at Hawks — late
Source : Baseball – The Japan Times
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