For nine innings Yoshihisa Naruse and Masanori Ishikawa were almost mirror images of each other.
Neither starter factored into the decision, however, and Ishikawa left the stadium in a better mood than his counterpart.
A missed foul ball in the 12th inning cost the Chiba Lotte Marines as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows escaped with a narrow 2-0 victory on Friday at Chiba Marine Stadium.