Pinch-hitter Katsumi Hirosawa drove home the winning run with a bases-loaded hit in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday, giving the Hanshin Tigers their second "sayonara" win over the Yomiuri Giants in as many nights with a 1-0 victory.
| Central League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Yakult | 34 | 22 | 2 | .607 | - |
| Yomiuri | 37 | 29 | 2 | .561 | 2.0 |
| Chunichi | 30 | 32 | 1 | .484 | 7.0 |
| Hiroshima | 26 | 29 | 4 | .473 | 7.5 |
| Yokohama | 26 | 33 | 1 | .441 | 9.5 |
| Hanshin | 27 | 35 | 0 | .435 | 10.0 |
| Pacific League | |||||
| Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | GB | |
| Daiei | 38 | 27 | 1 | .585 | - |
| Lotte | 34 | 29 | 2 | .540 | 3.0 |
| Kintetsu | 36 | 31 | 2 | .537 | 3.0 |
| Orix | 33 | 29 | 4 | .532 | 3.5 |
| Seibu | 31 | 35 | 0 | .470 | 7.5 |
| Nippon Ham | 22 | 43 | 3 | .338 | 16.0 |
With none out, Hirosawa lined a single off Hideki Okajima to deep center at Koshien Stadium as the Tigers, held hitless by Yomiuri right-hander Koji Uehara through seven innings, won their fourth straight game for the second time this season and have won seven of their last eight.
Hirosawa's RBI hit made a winner of veteran reliever Atsunori Ito (5-2).
Uehara (5-3) was charged with the loss after taking a no-hitter into the eighth. He allowed three hits in 8-plus innings while striking out seven and walking three.
Yomiuri inks Almonte
The Yomiuri Giants have acquired pitcher Hector Almonte from the Florida Marlins' triple-A affiliate, officials of the Central League club announced on Thursday.