Akinori Iwamura belted a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning Sunday to power the Yakult Swallows to a 9-4 victory over the Yokohama BayStars in a Central League contest in Yokohama.
| Central League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Yomiuri | 26 | 23 | 0 | .531 | - |
| Yakult | 22 | 21 | 1 | .512 | 1.0 |
| Yokohama | 22 | 21 | 1 | .512 | 1.0 |
| Hiroshima | 25 | 25 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 |
| Chunichi | 24 | 24 | 0 | .500 | 1.5 |
| Hanshin | 21 | 26 | 1 | .447 | 4.0 |
| Pacific League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Seibu | 26 | 18 | 1 | .591 | - |
| Orix | 25 | 19 | 0 | .568 | 1.0 |
| Daiei | 26 | 22 | 1 | .542 | 2.0 |
| Nippon Ham | 24 | 26 | 1 | .480 | 5.0 |
| Kintetsu | 21 | 27 | 0 | .438 | 7.0 |
| Lotte | 19 | 29 | 1 | .396 | 9.0 |
Yakult starter Jason Jacome gave up two runs over five innings and reliever Ryota Igarashi (6-1) came on in the sixth to pick up the win.
Carp 6, Tigers 5
At Koshien Stadium, Shuji Nishiyama and pinch-hitter Itsuki Asai hit back-to-back RBI singles and Hiroshima broke a 3-3 deadlock with three runs in the top of the sixth inning en route to a victory over Hanshin.
Giants 11, Dragons 4
Catcher Shinichi Murata drove in four runs Saturday night and Akira Eto added three as Yomiuri trounced Chunichi to move into sole possession of first place.
PACIFIC LEAGUE
Buffaloes 4, BlueWave 2
Takashi Muto doubled in the game-tying run and Tetsuya Matoyama drove in the winning run on a squeeze play in the seventh inning as Kintetsu rallied past Orix at the Osaka Dome.
Fighters 3, Lions 1
At the Tokyo Dome, Atsushi Kataoka connected for a solo HR in the first inning and Kazuteru Shimada added a three-run blast in the fourth to power Nippon Ham past Seibu.
Marines 3, Hawks 0
At the Fukuoka Dome, starter Shingo Ono (6-1) tossed a three-hitter over 7 1/3 scoreless innings and closer Brian Warren retired the side in the ninth to pick up his eighth save of the season as Lotte blanked Daiei.
Saturday's late PL games:
Fighters 17, Lions 3
Marines 11, Hawks 6
Neel off roster
The Orix BlueWave took designated-hitter Troy Neel off the active roster Saturday, replacing the former Japan Series MVP with outfielder Orlando Merced.