Tetsuya Utsumi took the mound knowing the Yomiuri Giants' season hung in the balance. He did a little bit of everything to make sure his team lived to fight another day.
Utsumi threw six innings of one-run ball — registering a hit and an RBI along the way — before Yoshinobu Takahashi put things out of reach with a three-run double in the ninth inning as the Giants staved off elimination with a 6-2 victory over the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Game 2 of the Central League Climax Series first stage on Sunday night at Jingu Stadium.
"I was very nervous about today but I was determined not to lose no matter what happened," Utsumi said. "Each pitch I threw tonight had more weight than in the regular season but I was just glad that I could shut them down."