Tomoya Mori went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs as the Orix Buffaloes rallied to beat the Nippon Ham Fighters 8-7 on Tuesday.
The power-hitting catcher had a run-scoring single in the first inning, a two-run blast in the fifth and a solo shot in the seventh at the Fighters' new Es Con Field Hokkaido.
Mori's first home run of the night gave the Buffaloes the lead for good at 6-5 after their starting pitcher Hiroya Miyagi blew an early 3-0 lead, lasting just 1-2/3 innings.
Asked during a postgame interview why he has done well at the plate in recent games, Mori said, "I don't know...I'm just trying to have no regrets after each at-bat."
"As for my first homer, I wanted to score Keita (Nakagawa) since he's been on base so often. I hit the ball perfectly."
Jharel Cotton (1-0) threw four innings in relief for the win. Hiromi Ito (0-3) took the loss.
Go Matsumoto, the 2022 Pacific League batting champion with a .347 average, had four hits and drove in three runs for Nippon Ham.
In the day's other games, the Seibu Lions defeated the Lotte Marines 5-3, and the DeNA BayStars beat the Yakult Swallows by the same score. Three games were postponed due to rain.
