The Chiba Lotte Marines remained the masters of the Pacific League's powerhouse club, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, beating the defending Japan Series champs 1-0 on Wednesday for their second straight shutout win.
Rookie right-hander Daiki Iwashita (1-0) scattered a hit, three walks and a hit batsman while striking out three to outduel Kotaro Otake (0-1).
"Yesterday (Hideaki) Wakui shut them down to get us going in a good direction," the 22-year-old Iwashita said. "The fielders did a great job, and that helped me to pitch well. Basically, all I have is a fastball, so I have to be bold with it.