The Seibu Lions' Yutaro Watanabe pitches during a Pacific League game against the Orix Buffaloes on Sept. 12, 2021, at MetLife Dome in Tokorozawa, Japan. (Kyodo)
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Rookie Yutaro Watanabe threw five innings of one-run ball and Cory Spangenberg blasted a three-run homer Sunday as the Seibu Lions overpowered the Orix Buffaloes 3-1 in the Pacific League.
Watanabe (3-3) struck out five while allowing three hits and two walks, giving up his only run on a Yutaro Sugimoto home run to lead off the fourth at MetLife Dome.
While the 20-year-old right-hander said his performance "hadn't been great," he showed composure as he snuffed out a rally with the Lions up 3-1 in the fourth, pitching out of three straight full counts.
"I think being able to stick it out there led to getting the win," he said.
In the second, with one out and runners on second and third, Spangenberg got hold of a 1-1 fastball from Orix starter Sachiya Yamasaki (5-9) and sent it high over center for his seventh home run of the year.
"We put together a good inning. (Yamasaki) was throwing really good, but we just happened to get a rally going," said Spangenberg, who credited Watanabe for putting the Lions in a winning position with another strong start.
"Watanabe has been throwing well for the last four games. He's throwing strikes and he's given us a good chance to win every time he pitches."
While Seibu sits second from bottom in the PL, former San Diego Padres infielder and outfielder Spangenberg says the club can still challenge for a playoff spot with roughly a quarter of the season remaining.
"We were in this predicament last year. We were very far behind and we got down to the second-last game still in the playoff hunt, so hopefully we can play good baseball and get in a position to be in the playoffs," he said.
At Sapporo Dome, rookie Yuma Imagawa made his first hit in the pros one to remember, hammering a two-run home run for the Nippon Ham Fighters in their 3-0 win over the SoftBank Hawks.
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