Hiroki Kuroda pitched a six-hitter over the distance in the Hiroshima Carps' 8-1 triumph over the Giants in the Central League on Tuesday, denying Yomiuri victory in its first regular-season game in Miyazaki Prefecture.
Kuroda (4-3), pitching on 12 days' rest, came within an out of his first complete game shutout this season but he allowed Roberto Petagine to deliver his first hit to deep right with runners on the corners in the ninth for an RBI double at Sun Marine Stadium.
Dragons 6, Swallows 3
At Jingu Stadium, Domingo Guzman (3-2) set the pace through the eighth inning, allowing three runs and striking out 11 in a no-walk outing, and was backed by a 17-hit offense in the series opener as Chunichi sent Yakult to the bottom of the CL standings.