Yokohama's newest imports, Dave Doster and Jon Zuber, accounted for five runs Saturday as the BayStars kicked off the 2001 preseason in Japanese professional baseball with an 11-4 win over the Chunichi Dragons.
Doster, hoping to fill in the hole left by the departure of second baseman Bobby Rose, hit a two-run homer in the first inning at Ginowan Stadium in Okinawa Prefecture while Zuber doubled home a run and scored twice.
In nearby Nago, the Yakult Swallows pounded out four homers and newly acquired pitchers Alan Newman and Jonathan Hurst combined for six innings of shutout relief in a 12-1 romp over the Nippon Ham Fighters.
In Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, the Chiba Lotte Marines got promising performances from its young pitching staff on its way to an 11-0, three-hit whitewash of the Hiroshima Carp.
In Aki, Kochi Prefecture, Hiroyuki Oshima homered and ex-Arizona Diamondback Alex Cabrera had a pair of hits and two RBIs as the Seibu Lions edged the Hanshin Tigers 4-2.