Leandro Cedeno homered off one of lefty Livan Moinelo's few mistakes to drive in both runs Saturday as the Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes beat the SoftBank Hawks 2-0.
Moinelo, who allowed three hits and a walk over eight innings in the complete-game loss at Kyocera Dome Osaka, was making his first start in Japan after seven seasons in the SoftBank bullpen.
New Orix import Anderson Espinoza allowed four walks and two hits over six innings to win his Japan debut after his Venezuelan compatriot Cedeno made good on a pregame promise of run support.
"I said, 'Espy, go pitch your innings with no runs, and I'm going to get the RBI to help you win the game.' And that happened," Cedeno said.
Moinelo retired the first 12 batters he faced before trouble struck. With one out in the fifth and a runner on first, Moinelo threw a 2-0 pitch in the heart of the zone, and Cedeno cranked it out.
"Moinelo was pitching pretty good, only one hit," Cedeno said. "I was hoping I could get a good pitch to hit, and I did that."
The win was the Buffaloes' first of the season as they aim for a fourth straight PL pennant and their first Japan Series title in two years.
In Yokohama, rookie Ryuki Watarai bounced back from getting hit by a pitch near the head in the first inning to lead the DeNA BayStars to a 6-1 Central League win over the Hiroshima Carp. Watarai went 4-for-4 with a double, his second home run, a stolen base, three runs and two RBIs.
Meanwhile, the CL and Japan Series champion Hanshin Tigers were shut out by the Yomiuri Giants for the second straight day, 5-0.
