Tuffy Rhodes singled home the game winner in the eighth inning and Koji Uehara pitched a four-hitter in a complete game effort on Tuesday, lifting the Yomiuri Giants past the Orix Buffaloes 2-1 in interleague play.
Yomiuri Giants baserunner Takayuki Saito slides home safely on a single by Tuffy Rhodes while
Orix Buffaloes catcher Fumihiro Suzuki reaches out to catch the ball at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.
The Giants won 2-1.
Rhodes saved Uehara and the Central League cellar dwellers with his two-out clutch hit off Daisuke Kato (1-1) that broke a 1-1 tie at Tokyo Dome after the game turned into a heated duel between Opening Day pitchers -- Uehara and Hidetaka Kawagoe.