Darvish tosses 3rd straight shutout as Fighters edge Dragons
The Nippon Ham Fighters are obviously armed, and the Central League is hands-in-the-air powerless to stop them.
Yu Darvish became the latest Hawks hurler to embarrass a CL team, shutting out the Chunichi Dragons 1-0 for the second time in a week to give Nippon Ham its eighth shutout in nine games.
Darvish (8-1), who has won eight consecutive decisions and leads the PL in victories, became the eighth pitcher to throw three consecutive shutouts, tying the Pacific League record that Orix’s Chihiro Kaneko equaled last year.
Darvish ran his personal consecutive innings scoreless streak to 44, holding the Dragons to three hits, while fanning 10 and walking none as the Fighters improved to 12-5 in interleague play. The Hawks stayed three games behind SoftBank, which has only lost once in interleague play.
The Fighters ace held still has a while to get to the NPB record of six straight shutouts, set by the Yomiuri Giants' Hideo Fujimura in 1943 in the one-league era.
Darvish posted his fourth shutout of the season, the 16th of his career, and is second in the PL with a 1.42 ERA. Sho Nakata’s RBI double in the seventh was the game’s only run.
Darvish only trails Tadashi Sugiuri (Nankai), who tossed 54.2 shutout innings in the PL, and the all-time NBP mark Masaichi Kaneda (Kokutetsu) 64.1 innings.
HAWKS 7, GIANTS 3
Nobuhiro Matsuda blasted a go-ahead three-run homer in a four-run fourth that powered SoftBank past Yomiuri at FYJ Dome.
Tusyoshi Wada (5-1) went just five innings, but won his 21st interleague game, tops on the all-time list. The Hawks shaved their magic number for the interleague title to four.
The Giants' Michihiro “Guts” Ogasawara returned from a respite after a left calf injury sidelined him three weeks ago and had three hits, including a solo shot, and two RBIs.
TIGERS 6, MARINES 3
Matt Murton sparked Hanshin with a solo shot leading off the game, and added three more hits as the Tigers scored their interleague high in runs to roar past Lotte at The Q.
The Marines fell into last place in the interleague standings.
EAGLES 5, BAYSTARS 1
Masahiro Tanaka (5-2) scattered three hits and a walk over eight innings and Kazuo Matsui and Takeshi Yamasaki knocked in runs as Rakuten topped visiting Yokohama to halt a four-game slide.
BUFFALOES 7, SWALLOWS 0
Alfredo Figaro (5-2) held Yakult to five hits and a walk with six Ks over six innings, and Aarom Baldiris slugged a two-run shot as Orix cruised at Kyocera Dome for its seventh straight win.
Darvish tosses 3rd straight shutout as Fighters edge Dragons
The Nippon Ham Fighters are obviously armed, and the Central League is hands-in-the-air powerless to stop them.
Yu Darvish became the latest Hawks hurler to embarrass a CL team, shutting out the Chunichi Dragons 1-0 for the second time in a week to give Nippon Ham its eighth shutout in nine games.
Darvish (8-1), who has won eight consecutive decisions and leads the PL in victories, became the eighth pitcher to throw three consecutive shutouts, tying the Pacific League record that Orix’s Chihiro Kaneko equaled last year.
Darvish ran his personal consecutive innings scoreless streak to 44, holding the Dragons to three hits, while fanning 10 and walking none as the Fighters improved to 12-5 in interleague play. The Hawks stayed three games behind SoftBank, which has only lost once in interleague play.
The Fighters ace held still has a while to get to the NPB record of six straight shutouts, set by the Yomiuri Giants' Hideo Fujimura in 1943 in the one-league era.
Darvish posted his fourth shutout of the season, the 16th of his career, and is second in the PL with a 1.42 ERA. Sho Nakata’s RBI double in the seventh was the game’s only run.
Darvish only trails Tadashi Sugiuri (Nankai), who tossed 54.2 shutout innings in the PL, and the all-time NBP mark Masaichi Kaneda (Kokutetsu) 64.1 innings.
HAWKS 7, GIANTS 3
Nobuhiro Matsuda blasted a go-ahead three-run homer in a four-run fourth that powered SoftBank past Yomiuri at FYJ Dome.
Tusyoshi Wada (5-1) went just five innings, but won his 21st interleague game, tops on the all-time list. The Hawks shaved their magic number for the interleague title to four.
The Giants' Michihiro “Guts” Ogasawara returned from a respite after a left calf injury sidelined him three weeks ago and had three hits, including a solo shot, and two RBIs.
TIGERS 6, MARINES 3
Matt Murton sparked Hanshin with a solo shot leading off the game, and added three more hits as the Tigers scored their interleague high in runs to roar past Lotte at The Q.
The Marines fell into last place in the interleague standings.
EAGLES 5, BAYSTARS 1
Masahiro Tanaka (5-2) scattered three hits and a walk over eight innings and Kazuo Matsui and Takeshi Yamasaki knocked in runs as Rakuten topped visiting Yokohama to halt a four-game slide.
BUFFALOES 7, SWALLOWS 0
Alfredo Figaro (5-2) held Yakult to five hits and a walk with six Ks over six innings, and Aarom Baldiris slugged a two-run shot as Orix cruised at Kyocera Dome for its seventh straight win.