OSAKA -- Kintetsu slugger Tuffy Rhodes moved to the doorstep of history Wednesday night as the Buffaloes beat the Chiba Lotte Marines 8-3 at the Osaka Dome and moved back into first place in the Pacific League.
Central League WonLostTiedPct.GB Yakult 66 46 5 .589 - Yomiuri 67 57 2 .540 5.0 Hiroshima 56 54 6 .509 9.0 Chunichi 56 61 3 .479 12.5 Yokohama 54 59 3 .478 12.5 Hanshin 48 70 1 .407 21.0 Pacific League WonLostTiedPct.GB Kintetsu 69 57 2 .548 - Seibu 70 58 0 .547 0.0 Daiei 68 57 1 .544 0.5 Orix 59 61 4 .492 7.0 Lotte 59 63 2 .484 8.0 Nippon Ham 47 76 3 .382 20.5
Rhodes cracked his 54th home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning, moving him within a single blast of tying the hallowed single-season homer record Sadaharu Oh set back in 1964 with the Yomiuri Giants.
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