The Seibu Lions squandered an opportunity to clinch the Pacific League pennant for yet another day, crumbling to the Chiba Lotte Marines 9-1 Wednesday in a game marred by a judo-style fight and an ejection.
Seibu's magic number to win the league title remained at one after its third straight home loss and the Orix Buffaloes' 4-1 win at the Softbank Hawks. The Lions, who hold a five-game edge over Orix, will now travel to Sapporo for a two-game series against the Nippon Ham Fighters.
Shoitsu Omatsu, who went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, was the hero of the night at Seibu Dome as the Marines tied the idle Nippon Ham Fighters in third place, but his performance was overshadowed by the ejection of Benny Agbayani during a decisive seventh-run fourth inning.