CHIBA — Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara usually greets Giants that hit home runs with a double-fisted handshake just outside of the dugout. Alex Ramirez's shot on Tuesday was so big that Hara went with a bear hug instead.
Ramirez hit a go-ahead, three-run homer to cap a four-run eighth as the Giants outlasted the Chiba Lotte Marines 12-11 in a back-and-forth contest on the opening day of interleague play at Chiba Marine Stadium.
"The hitting coach gave me good advice," Ramirez said of the home run. "I went up there looking for something middle away and I got it."