Keiji Takahashi of the Yakult Swallows pitches against the Orix Buffaloes in Game 2 of the Japan Series at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Nov. 21, 2021. (Kyodo)

       OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Lefty Keiji Takahashi's five-hit shutout led the Central League champion Yakult Swallows to a 2-0 win over the Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes on Sunday to even the Japan Series at one win apiece.

       Takahashi (1-0) issued two walks while striking out five in a gutsy 133-pitch effort as the Swallows snapped the PL's series win streak at 13 games. Norichika Aoki broke the ice with an eighth-inning RBI bloop single, and Yakult added an unearned run in the ninth.

       Rookie Orix lefty Hiroya Miyagi (0-1) allowed a run on five hits and a walk while striking out seven over 7-2/3 innings. Miyagi appeared completely in control as he retired the first 16 batters he faced and then bounced back in two gritty at-bats to keep the game scoreless after allowing back-to-back one-out singles in the sixth.

       Takahashi surrendered singles in each of the first five innings, but was never really threatened thanks to some outstanding defense and retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.

       "Miyagi was pitching so well, that I went to the mound thinking I'd be out of the game before him," Takahashi said. "In the end, I was able to hang in there, and I was energized once Aoki got that big hit."

       In the eighth, Naomichi Nishiura, who had his team's first hit, drew a one-out walk. Shiomi singled with two outs and Aoki's flare landed in shallow right to plate Nishiura. Reliever Ryo Yoshida, who worked a 1-2-3 inning in Orix's come-from-behind Game 1 victory, struck out slugger Tetsuto Yamada to control the damage.

       The Swallows struck against reliever Cesar Vargas in the ninth. A Domingo Santana walk and a sacrifice set the table. Jose Osuna singled and right fielder Yutaro Sugimoto mishandled the ball, allowing the pinch-runner to score.

       Takahashi took the mound for the ninth against dangerous left-handed slugger Masataka Yoshida, who hit a bullet to shortstop for the first out in a 1-2-3 ninth with pinch-hitter Adam Jones striking out to end the game.

       "I don't have any recollection of pitching a perfect ninth, I was concentrating so hard on each hitter," Takahashi said.

       For the second straight night, the Swallows defense made an impact. Takahashi caught a hard-hit liner in the first to rob the Buffaloes of a leadoff single, and shortstop Nishiura started a tough double play in the second. Center fielder Yasutaka Shiomi made a good catch in the fifth, when Takahashi got out of the inning with two runners on.

       "After yesterday's game, I thought runs were going to be hard to come by, so I suspected it would be a question of who could score first and hold on to the lead," Swallows manager Shingo Takatsu said.

       "We didn't hit the ball very well, but we got hits because we kept grinding."

       Games 3, 4 and 5 will be at Tokyo Dome, starting from Tuesday.

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