Yusuke Nomura got his just deserts in the form of his season's first win in the Hiroshima Carp's 4-0 victory over the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers on Thursday.
Nomura (1-0), who has yet to allow a run in two starts, allowed three hits but no walks over six innings while striking out three at Mazda Stadium.
Kaito Kozono, who has struggled at the plate this season, cracked a two-run second-inning homer off Hanshin rookie Shoki Murakami (6-4), who allowed three runs over seven innings and did not allow a base runner after Ryoma Nishikawa's third-inning RBI single.
The loss trimmed Hanshin's lead to 1-1/2 games over the DeNA BayStars, who held on to beat the Yakult Swallows 3-2 behind a complete game from Trevor Bauer (6-2).
In the Pacific League, 38-year-old Takayuki Kishi (3-2) outpitched standout 20-year-old rookie Shumpeita Yamashita (7-2) as the Rakuten Eagles defeated the Orix Buffaloes 3-0.
The Buffaloes' loss dropped them 1-1/2 games back of the SoftBank Hawks, who beat the Nippon Ham Fighters 4-3 behind a two-run homer and a go-ahead RBI triple from Yuki Yanagita.
