The Daiei Hawks hammered five homers, including two by Sydney-bound Nobuhiko Matsunaka, to defeat the Orix BlueWave 11-5 at the Fukuoka Dome on Sunday and stake a claim to first place in the Pacific League standings.
Daiei completed a three-game sweep of the BlueWave and rose into a virtual tie for first place with Seibu.
Matsunaka went 3-for-4 with six RBIs as the Hawks connected for five homers for the first time under manager and legendary home run hitter Sadaharu Oh.