CHIBA -- Tuffy Rhodes remained tied with Sadaharu Oh for the Japan pro baseball single-season home run record at 55 after the Kintetsu Buffaloes downed the Chiba Lotte Marines 9-7 in dramatic fashion on Saturday at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Central League WonLostTiedPct.GB Yakult 74 52 5 .587 - Yomiuri 75 61 2 .551 4.0 Hiroshima 62 62 7 .500 11.0 Yokohama 62 64 4 .492 12.0 Chunichi 59 71 4 .454 17.0 Hanshin 54 76 2 .415 22.0 Pacific League WonLostTiedPct.GB Kintetsu 77 58 2 .570 - Daiei 74 63 1 .540 4.0 Seibu 73 65 0 .529 5.5 Orix 67 64 4 .511 8.0 Lotte 63 72 2 .467 14.0 Nippon Ham 51 83 3 .381 25.5
Koichi Isobe cracked two home runs, including the decisive two-out, three-run blast in the top of the ninth inning, to power the new Pacific League champion Buffaloes to their eighth consecutive victory and third straight in their final at-bat.