Baseball: Suzuki hits 1st homer of season as Cubs rout Rockies

Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki hit his first home run of the season and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in a 12-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.

Suzuki's line-drive two-run homer to center field gave the Cubs a 2-0 first-inning lead at Wrigley Field, a day after Japanese teammate Shota Imanaga did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the sixth in an impressive Major League Baseball debut.

Suzuki, playing in his third MLB season, added a single in the seventh.

"Scoring first was big for us," the former star of Japan's Hiroshima Carp said of homering off a 2-0 sinker from left-hander Kyle Freeland. "It was a hitter's count, so I was ready to take a good swing at the next pitch even if it meant missing it."

Christopher Morel, Garrett Cooper and Cody Bellinger also homered for the Cubs.

In other action, San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (0-1) took his first loss after allowing three runs in seven innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, who came back to win 5-2.

Shohei Ohtani was 0-for-3 with a walk in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants, going hitless for a second straight game. Mookie Betts hit his MLB-leading fifth home run.

© Kyodo News