Kenta Asakura threw his third complete game of the season and Lee Byung Kyu went 4-for-4 with an RBI, leading Chunichi to a 6-1 win over Tokyo Yakult on Friday.
Hanshin Outfielder Kodai Sakurai is hit by Yomiuri reliever Kentaro Nishimura's pitch with bases loaded
in the fifth inning for a game-tying run.
KYODO PHOTOAsakura (12-6) gave up 10 hits but limited the Swallows to one run to win his fifth straight start. The right-hander struck out five, walked one and hit a batter in a 120-pitch outing at Nagoya Dome.
The Dragons took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles by Tyrone Woods and Lee. A Masahiro Araki run-scoring single and Nakamura's three-run shot off rookie right-hander Hidenori Ito (0-1) made it 6-0 in the second.