Alex Ochoa hit a two-run homer and Kosuke Fukudome delivered a solo blast as the front-running Chunichi Dragons kicked off the second half of the season with a 4-3 victory over the Hanshin Tigers in the Central League on Friday.
Kobe -- Orix second baseman Keiichi Hirano
misses the pick-off from catcher Daisuke Maeda as Hiroyuki
Shibata of Seibu steals second in the 10th inning of
Friday's game at Yahoo BB Stadium.
In the first game after the All-Star series last weekend, Fukudome had an RBI groundout in the first inning before Ochoa sent a Kei Igawa (7-7) pitch over the wall in center field for an early 3-0 lead at Koshien Stadium.
Fukudome made it stand with his 20th homer of the season in the fourth to help make a winner of Masahiro Yamamoto (7-3), who allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings for the win. Marc Valdes pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.