Kazuo Matsui hit a two-run tie-breaking homer in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday as the front-running Seibu Lions batted back from a nine-run deficit to a 12-10 victory over the Kintetsu Buffaloes for their fifth win in a row.
Matsui connected for his 24th homer of the season off Koichi Misawa (4-2) after Kintetsu knocked out Daisuke Matsuzaka in the second inning and then blew leads of 9-0 and 10-9 in a seesaw contest featuring 31 hits at the Seibu Dome.
Tom Evans hit a two-run single and Alex Cabrera hit his 37th of the season in a seven-run fourth after Seibu began its rally in the third sparked by a two-run double by Tatsuya Ozeki.