Koji Akiyama and Nobuhiko Matsunaka hit three-run homers to keep the Daiei Hawks atop the Pacific League standings with an 8-5 win over the Kintetsu Buffaloes on Sunday.
Akiyama's clout in the fourth at the Osaka Dome slashed a four-run deficit to one and Matsunaka's blast in the next frame highlighted a four-run rally that put the Hawks into the lead for good.
Keizaburo Tanoue (3-3) picked up the win with one inning of relief while Rodney Pedraza was perfect in the ninth for his league-high 19th save of the season.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.