Orix Buffaloes pitcher Hiroya Miyagi earns his Japan-best ninth win in a game against the Seibu Lions on July 4, 2021, at MetLife Dome outside Tokyo.

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Rookie Hiroya Miyagi allowed two runs over eight innings to earn his Japan-best ninth win as the Pacific League-leading Orix Buffaloes edged the Seibu Lions 3-2 on Sunday.

       Miyagi (9-1) allowed five hits and a walk while striking out six at MetLife Dome outside Tokyo to win a duel with Lions right-hander Zach Neal. Two of the hits the 19-year-old lefty allowed were solo home runs that let the Lions erase one-run deficits in the second and third innings.

       "My last start was really hard from start to finish, so all this week in practice, I focused on what I could do to make it easier on myself," said Miyagi, who started Sunday's game tied with three other pitchers with eight wins.

       The Buffaloes' victory moved them four games in front of the second-place Rakuten Eagles.

       Neal (1-3) allowed eight hits despite preventing the Buffaloes from making solid contact. He struck out one batter without issuing a walk.

       The Buffaloes offense was led by leadoff man Shuhei Fukuda, who scored twice and had a hand in the Buffaloes' other run. Fukuda opened the game with a bunt single and scored in the first on a double play ground ball.

       The Lions tied it in the bottom of the second on Takeya Nakamura's seventh home run. Fukuda singled with two outs in the third and scored from first on Yuma Mune's run-and-hit double.

       Shuta Tonosaki hit his first home run of the year in the bottom of the inning, but the Buffaloes scraped out another run against Neal in the fifth.

       A leadoff infield single, a sacrifice and Fukuda's second bunt single put runners on the corners, and Japan Olympic team member Masataka Yoshida singled off one of Neal's few mistakes to put Orix ahead for good.

       Former big leaguer Yoshihisa Hirano worked around a two-out double in the ninth to secure the victory, and his 11th save.

       At Chiba's Zozo Marine Stadium, Lotte Marines leadoff man Takashi Ogino scored three runs, while Shogo Nakamura had four hits, including a pair of doubles, as he scored one run and drove in four in an 8-6 win over the Rakuten Eagles.

       At Okinawa Cellular Stadium, Colin Rea (2-1) worked five innings to earn the win as the SoftBank Hawks beat the Nippon Ham Fighters 5-0.

       At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Shogo Sakakura's two-run fifth-inning double brought the Hiroshima Carp back from a one-run deficit in their 4-3 win over the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers.

       At Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, Toshiro Miyazaki brought the DeNA BayStars from behind with a two-run home run as they beat the Yomiuri Giants 3-2 in their first win over their CL rivals this season.

       At Vantelin Dome Nagoya, Dayan Viciedo's 13th home run erased the Chunichi Dragons' two-run eighth-inning deficit in a 3-3 tie with the Yakult Swallows.

       Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0