Kintetsu first baseman Yuji Yoshioka cracked a two-run homer off Daisuke Matsuzaka in the sixth inning Monday to lift the Buffaloes past the Seibu Lions 4-3 at the Seibu Dome.
| Pacific League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Daiei | 36 | 27 | 1 | .571 | - |
| Lotte | 33 | 28 | 2 | .541 | 2.0 |
| Orix | 32 | 28 | 4 | .533 | 2.5 |
| Kintetsu | 34 | 30 | 2 | .531 | 2.5 |
| Seibu | 30 | 33 | 0 | .476 | 6.0 |
| Nippon Ham | 22 | 41 | 3 | .349 | 14.0 |
Matsuzaka went the distance, giving up five hits and walking seven while striking out 10 in taking his eighth loss.
Seibu slugger Alex Cabrera drilled his Pacific League-leading 30th homer but it was not enough for the Lions, who suffered their fifth straight loss.
Hawks 5, Fighters 3 (11)
Daiei sluggers Hiroki Kokubo and Nobuhiko Matsunaka slammed back-to-back solo homers off reliever Hiroshi Shibakusa (4-2) in the top of the 11th inning as Daiei downed Nippon Ham at the Tokyo Dome.
BlueWave 11, Marines 2
Lotte starter Tomohiro Kuroki, who won his first nine games this season, took his second straight loss after being chased in just over two innings against Orix, which cruised past the Marines at Green Stadium Kobe.