Masahiro Tanaka cruised through eight innings as the Rakuten Eagles paddled the Pacific League-leading Orix Buffaloes 9-1 Thursday.
Tanaka (6-6) went to the mound at Kyocera Dome Osaka with a two-run lead, and after pitching out of a first-inning jam, never looked back.
The former New York Yankee allowed five hits and two walks while striking out three as he located well and changed speeds to keep the Buffaloes from making consistent solid contact.
The Eagles, who snapped Orix's four-game winning streak, scored four runs over three innings against Jacob Waguespack (3-5), who was summoned from the minors after the scheduled starter fell ill.
The Buffaloes put the tying runs on base with no outs in the first, but had to settle for one run scoring on a Leandro Cedeno sacrifice fly.
Elsewhere in the PL, the second-place Lotte Marines beat the last-place Nippon Ham Fighters 7-5.
In the Central League, Japan home run leader Kazuma Okamoto homered twice for the second straight game as the Yomiuri Giants edged the Yakult Swallows 2-1.
The league-leading Hanshin Tigers beat the last-place Chunichi Dragons 5-2, while the Hiroshima Carp and DeNA BayStars finished in a scoreless 12-inning tie.
