Hideki Nagaoka's two-run ninth-inning home run brought the Yakult Swallows from behind against the Central League's front-running DeNA BayStars 10-9 Friday in a game that witnessed 11 home runs.
The Swallows entered the eighth inning at Jingu Stadium trailing 9-4, but Taiki Hamada's second home run of the game, a three-run shot, capped a four-run rally to make it 9-8.
BayStars closer Yasuaki Yamasaki (0-3) got two outs before Jose Osuna's third hit put the tying run on base. Nagaoka then hit a 2-0 pitch out to win the game with his first home run of the season and did his best to avoid being showered with water at home plate as his teammates celebrated.
"I thought I got under it too much, but the wind did the job," Nagaoka said. "I owe that to the wind."
"I've always thought getting water dumped on me would be a good thing, but having exceeded my own expectations (with a home run), I failed to prepare myself for it."
DeNA's Keita Sano blasted two home runs off Yakult starter Keiji Takahashi and drove in four runs, while Yakult's Munetaka Murakami hit a mammoth third-inning opposite-field homer that tied the game 3-3.
Despite a couple of big hits that helped Japan secure March's World Baseball Classic championship, Murakami had been mired in a slump since late last season. The home run, however, was his second in two days.
Elsewhere in the CL, six eighth-inning runs lifted the Chunichi Dragons to an 8-3 come-from-behind win over the Yomiuri Giants.
