The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters are showing people that once their cogwheels are engaged, they can once again be as good as any other team.
With an invigorating, 7-0 victory over the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks at Tokyo Dome on Thursday, the reigning Pacific League champions bettered their record after interleague play ended to 15-3, moving two games above the .500 mark (41-39-2) and climbing into fourth place.
The Fighters were 14 games below .500 on May 4, but have quietly made the climb from the bottom of the standings. But their days of struggling and suffering seem to be finally over now.