HIDAKA’S WALK-OFF HOMER GIVES ORIX WIN OVER SEIBU

Takeshi Hidaka whacked a walk-off homer off Koji Onuma in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Orix Blue Wave a 2-1 victory over the Seibu Lions April 22 at Osaka’s Kyocera Dome. Reliever Daisuke Kato picked up his first win in five decisions for Orix, which evened its record at 8-8. Seibu fell to 8-8-1 with the loss. The Blue Wave turned a 5-4-3 triple play in the fourth stanza, marking the second time a Pacific League team has registered a triple killing this month after Nippon Ham turned one against Lotte on April 7.

The Rakuten Golden Eagles lead the Pacific League with a 9-6 record despite a 5-2 loss to Lotte April 22. Naotaka Takehara went 4-for-5 to key the Marines’ 18-hit attack as five Lotte players finished with three or more hits. Marines starter Shingo Ono went eight innings and gave up two runs on six hits with no walks to even his record at 1-1. The win snapped Lotte’s three-game losing streak.