Shortstop Tomohiro Nioka drove in the winning run with a two-out, bases-loaded bloop single to center Saturday to lift the Yomiuri Giants to a 2-1 "sayonara" victory over the Yakult Swallows at the Tokyo Dome.
Yakult starter Kazuhisa Ishii (1-1), who fanned 12 and held Yomiuri to five hits, appeared to have struck out Nioka with a pitch on the corner but the umpire called it a ball to run the count full and set the stage for the dramatic ending in the bottom of the ninth.
Yakult broke a 0-0 tie in the eighth inning but Domingo Martinez smashed a solo homer for the Giants in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at 1-1.
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