Kenshin Kawakami threw two-run ball over eight sharp innings Friday and the front-running Chunichi Dragons beat the Yomiuri Giants 4-2 as the Central League resumed play after nearly a month.
Hiroshima Carp hurler Sean Douglass pitches against the Yokohama BayStars at Hiroshima Stadium on
Friday.
Lee Seung Yeop gave Yomiuri a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the top of the first inning but Kosuke Fukudome and Alex Ochoa both hit run-scoring doubles in the bottom half as Chunichi went ahead 3-1 at Nagoya Dome.
Fukudome capped a 2-for-4 night with a leadoff homer in the third before Lee hit a solo blast in the fourth, but Yomiuri suffered its fourth consecutive defeat, and slipped into fourth place.