There were funky uniforms on both sides, and a slew of great plays in the outfield. In the end, it was Kazuhiro Hatakeyama and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows who put their stamp on the first round of a colorful battle for Tokyo supremacy.
Hatakeyama hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the top of the 11th, closer Tony Barnette shut the door on the Yomiuri Giants in the bottom half, and the Swallows earned a 3-2 victory over their crosstown rivals in the first game of the so-called "Tokyo Series" after 4 hours and 2 minutes in front of a crowd of 46,135 on Friday night at Tokyo Dome.
"I just wanted to do something because our pitchers have been carrying us and it was a long night," Hatakeyama said.
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