Hiroki Kokubo ignited Daiei's attack with a two-run homer and Masahiro Doi pitched his first career complete-game shutout Monday as the Hawks blanked the Orix BlueWave 6-0 to reclaim the lead in the Pacific League.
| Central League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Yomiuri | 51 | 35 | 0 | .593 | - |
| Chunichi | 43 | 39 | 0 | .524 | 6.0 |
| Yokohama | 40 | 41 | 1 | .494 | 8.5 |
| Hiroshima | 40 | 44 | 1 | .476 | 10.0 |
| Yakult | 37 | 42 | 1 | .468 | 10.5 |
| Hanshin | 37 | 47 | 1 | .440 | 13.0 |
| Pacific League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Daiei | 46 | 38 | 2 | .548 | - |
| Seibu | 44 | 37 | 3 | .543 | 0.5 |
| Orix | 41 | 38 | 1 | .519 | 2.5 |
| Nippon Ham | 43 | 44 | 1 | .494 | 4.5 |
| Lotte | 39 | 44 | 2 | .470 | 6.5 |
| Kintetsu | 36 | 48 | 1 | .429 | 10.0 |
Kokubo opened the scoring in a three-run third inning with his 20th homer of the season, while Doi (2-4) scattered five hits, walked none and struck out seven in a 112-pitch outing at Green Stadium Kobe. Orix starter Hidetaka Kawagoe (8-6) took the loss.
Daiei now stands at the top of the PL standings for the first time since July 19 with a half-game lead over the idle Seibu Lions and a 2.5-game lead over third-place Orix.
MLB stars coming
The Japanese and Major League Baseball All-Star teams will play an eight-game exhibition series in Japan in November, Japanese baseball officials said Monday.
The series will open with three games at the Tokyo Dome on Nov. 3-5 and then move to the Fukuoka Dome for Game 4 on Nov. 7, which will be followed by Game 5 at the Osaka Dome on Nov. 8 and Game 6 at the Nagoya Dome on Nov. 9. The remaining games will be held at the Seibu Dome on Nov. 11 and then back at the Tokyo Dome on Nov. 12.
The Nippon Professional Baseball officials are hoping that the MLB roster will include Seattle Mariners closer and former Yokohama BayStars star Kazuhiro Sasaki, the all-time saves leader in Japanese baseball.