Naoyuki Uwasawa struck out nine over the distance for his first shutout in five years as the Nippon Ham Fighters beat the Seibu Lions 3-0 Wednesday in the Pacific League.
Uwasawa (4-2) allowed four hits and two walks at Es Con Field Hokkaido outside Sapporo, for his fifth career shutout.
"I'm extremely happy today since my struggles have been going on and on," Uwasawa said. "I wanted to give our relievers a break and go at least seven innings tonight. When I got to the mound, and heard the fans' cheers, that gave me extra strength."
The Fighters broke up a scoreless game in the fifth with three straight RBI singles against Seibu lefty Dietrich Enns (1-6), who lasted 4-1/3 innings.
Elsewhere, the Lotte Marines beat the Orix Buffaloes 7-3 in a clash between the PL's top two clubs, while 42-year-old Tsuyoshi Wada (3-1) allowed a run over six innings to get the win as the SoftBank Hawks beat the Rakuten Eagles 10-1.
In the Central League, Shugo Maki homered twice and drove in five runs as the DeNA BayStars came from behind to beat the Hiroshima Carp 7-4, while the front-running Hanshin Tigers clipped the Chunichi Dragons 3-1, and the Yomiuri Giants held off the Yakult Swallows 5-4.
