Takeshi Yamasaki came within a single of hitting for the cycle as he went 3-for-4 with six RBIs to lead the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to an 18-3 drubbing of the Orix Buffaloes in the Pacific League on Friday.
Yuji Yoshioka of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles connects for a two-run single during the third inning of Friday's game against the Orix Buffaloes at Fullcast Stadium in Sendai. The Eagles won 18-3.
Yamasaki hit a two-run double to key a six-run third inning and added a two-run homer in the fourth as Rakuten jumped to an 8-0 lead against veteran right-hander Masato Yoshii (6-4) at Fullcast Stadium.
The designated hitter then tripled home two more runs in the sixth, which saw the Eagles send 14 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs on seven hits, a walk and two hit batters.