The Yakult Swallows ended a four-game winless streak Saturday to finally clinch their sixth Central League pennant and first in four years with a 6-4 extra-innings victory over the Yokohama BayStars.
A two-out wild pitch by Yokohama reliever Hiroshi Yamada and an RBI single by Atsuya Furuta broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the 10th at Yokohama Stadium after Yakult came back from a three-run deficit on Roberto Petagine's three-run homer in the eighth.
Central League WonLostTiedPct.GB +Yakult 75 55 6 .577 - Yomiuri 75 63 2 .543 4.0 Hiroshima 65 64 7 .504 9.5 Yokohama 66 66 4 .500 10.0 Chunichi 61 73 4 .455 16.0 Hanshin 57 78 3 .422 20.5 Pacific League WonLostTiedPct.GB +Kintetsu 78 60 2 .565 - Daiei 76 63 1 .547 2.5 Seibu 73 67 0 .521 6.0 Orix 70 66 4 .515 7.0 Lotte 64 74 2 .464 14.0 Nippon Ham 53 84 3 .387 24.5