Desperate to halt a nine-game skid, last-place Seibu Lions manager Hisanobu Watanabe named Hiroyuki Nakajima as the team's captain during the All-Star break.
Nakajima on Monday showed he's more than up for the new job, smacking a tie-breaking two-run shot in the eighth inning off Chiba Lotte Marines ace Yoshihisa Naruse to lead the Lions to a 4-2 victory over the Japan Series champions.
"First of all, it's great we won," said Nakajima, who also drove in the Lions' first run in the opening frame. "I'm definitely more motivated and I wanted to lead by example. It all worked out today."