Jeremy Powell pitched out of a fifth inning jam and held Nippon Ham scoreless over eight frames Sunday as the Kintetsu Buffaloes took a big step toward winning the Pacific League pennant with a 1-0 triumph over the Fighters at the Osaka Dome.
Central League WonLostTiedPct.GB Yakult 70 50 5 .583 - Yomiuri 72 59 2 .550 3.5 Hiroshima 58 59 7 .496 10.5 Yokohama 58 62 3 .483 12.0 Chunichi 59 64 4 .480 12.5 Hanshin 51 74 1 .408 21.5 Pacific League WonLostTiedPct.GB Kintetsu 73 58 2 .557 - Daiei 71 61 1 .538 2.5 Seibu 72 62 0 .537 2.5 Orix 64 63 4 .504 7.0 Lotte 61 68 2 .473 11.0 Nippon Ham 50 79 3 .388 22.0
Kintetsu won its fifth in a row and, coupled with Daiei's loss to Orix in Fukuoka, can complete its "worst-to-first" PL campaign by winning three of its remaining six games.