Masaru Takeda gave the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters everything he had. In the ninth inning, they finally gave him a helping hand.
Takeda threw a four-hit shutout and the Fighters scored runs in four consecutive at-bats during the ninth inning in a 4-0 victory over the Chiba Lotte Marines on Saturday at QVC Marine Field.
"I was throwing with all my might," Takeda said. "I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just following (catcher Shota) Ono's lead and taking it one batter at a time."