Shinnosuke Abe hit a "sayonara" solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Yomiuri Giants defeated the Yakult Swallows 3-2 on Thursday.
Abe sent a 2-1 fastball off Shugo Fujii into Tokyo Dome's right-field stands to break the deadlock and reclaim a 10-game lead for runaway leader Yomiuri ahead of the second-place Swallows in the Central League.
Hideki Okajima (6-2) earned the win after working the ninth in relief of Yusaku Iriki, who held Yakult to two runs and four hits in an effective eight-inning outing in a duel with Fujii.