Hisashi Iwakuma walked none and pitched eight-plus sharp innings en route to his third straight win in as many starts this season as the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes maintained an early lead in a 6-2 victory over the Seibu Lions in the Pacific League on Saturday.
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The Opening Day pitcher looked ready to go the distance at Seibu Dome until he allowed a two-run homer to Hiroyuki Nakajima with two out in the seventh inning for his only mistake. Iwakuma (3-0) yielded eight hits and struck out seven in his 127-pitch outing.
Koji Mitsui (0-1) was knocked out in 3 1/3 innings after being rocked for five runs on five hits, three walks and throwing a wild pitch.