Pinch-hitter Jeff Barry doubled with the bases loaded and two out in the seventh inning Monday to drive in three runs and lead the Lotte Marines 6-5 over the Seibu Lions at Chiba Marine Stadium.
| Central League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Yomiuri | 47 | 33 | 0 | .588 | - |
| Chunichi | 40 | 36 | 0 | .526 | 5.0 |
| Yakult | 36 | 37 | 1 | .493 | 7.5 |
| Hiroshima | 38 | 40 | 1 | .487 | 8.0 |
| Yokohama | 35 | 40 | 1 | .467 | 9.5 |
| Hanshin | 34 | 44 | 1 | .436 | 12.0 |
| Pacific League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Daiei | 43 | 35 | 2 | .551 | - |
| Seibu | 41 | 35 | 3 | .539 | 1.0 |
| Orix | 39 | 34 | 1 | .534 | 1.5 |
| Nippon Ham | 40 | 42 | 1 | .488 | 5.0 |
| Lotte | 36 | 43 | 2 | .456 | 7.5 |
| Kintetsu | 34 | 44 | 1 | .436 | 9.0 |
Barry, formerly of the Colorado Rockies, came in to score a fourth run on a triple by Kenji Morozumi as the Marines won three of the four-game set with the second-place Lions over the weekend.
Rookie hurler Naoyuki Shimizu (3-2) picked up the win despite giving up three runs on six hits over 7 2/3 innings.
Closer Brian Warren gave up a two-run homer to Katsuhiro Hiratsuka in the ninth but fanned Susumu Otomo for the final out and his 16th save of the season.
Seibu starter Hsu Ming-chieh (3-4) took a three-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up three walks and the double to Barry for the loss.
New sked proposed
The executive committee of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) on Monday decided upon the creation of a 140-game season for next year, pending the approval of the players association and the club owners.
Commissioner Hiromori Kawashima proposed that the 2001 season be extended by five games since it will be the first of the 21st century after sentiment in the meeting appeared to be headed toward approving a continuation of the 135-game 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.