It's been a decade since Michihiro Ogasawara last hit in the leadoff spot and nearly four years since Norihito Kaneto started and won a game at home.
Fittingly, the end of those droughts helped the Yomiuri Giants snap an early-season skid.
Hayato Sakamoto and Hisayoshi Chono each drove in a run and Yomiuri manager Tatsunori Hara squeezed just enough out of Kaneto and four relief pitchers for a 2-1 victory over the Yokohama BayStars in front of a crowd of 36,472 on Thursday at Tokyo Dome.