Tomoyuki Sugano allowed just three hits over five innings and drove in the go-ahead run as the Yomiuri Giants blanked the Chunichi Dragons 5-0 in the Central League on Saturday.
Sugano (4-6) combined with four relievers on the shutout at Tokyo Dome, where the fourth-place Giants and sixth-place Dragons opened their series with a 12-inning scoreless tie a day earlier.
The two-time winner of the Sawamura Award for Japanese baseball's most outstanding pitcher struck out four and issued a solitary walk in an efficient 80-pitch outing.
He put Yomiuri on the board with two out in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Takumi Oshiro with a grounder that Chunichi second baseman Hiroki Fukunaga fumbled before attempting the throw to home.
"I'm happy because I don't get this much cheer from the fans for my batting," said Sugano, who rated his pitching as only "so-so."
The Giants chased Dragons starter Hiroto Takahashi (5-10) in the sixth as they added three runs on Yoshihiro Maru's solo homer and pinch hitter Yuto Akihiro's two-RBI single. Makoto Kadowaki extended the lead with his solo home run in the seventh.
Elsewhere in the CL, the first-place Hanshin Tigers overpowered the Hiroshima Carp 5-1 and the Yakult Swallows thrashed the DeNA BayStars 13-1.
In the Pacific League, the SoftBank Hawks beat the Rakuten Eagles 7-2, while the Seibu Lions defeated the Nippon Ham Fighters by the same margin.
