Sheldon Neuse twice drew bases-loaded walks that put the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers in front in their wild wet 5-3 win over the DeNA BayStars on Wednesday.
With Tigers lefty Masashi Ito building a no-hit bid, the game at Yokohama Stadium was halted by rain after five innings with Hanshin leading 1-0. Instead of focusing on the lead, Tigers manager Akinobu Okada left Ito in the game and it backfired.
After a roughly 30-minute layoff, the lefty got through the sixth but coughed up three runs, two earned, on four seventh-inning hits.
Neuse, who singled his first two times up, forced in Ito with the game's first run in the top of the fifth and then repeated the feat in the ninth when reliever Soma Tokuyama walked him to force in the go-ahead run.
After three scoreless innings from their bullpen, the BayStars turned to veteran closer Yasuaki Yamasaki (0-1) in the ninth. Hanshin loaded the bases against him with no outs. Tokuyama then blew the game up completely, allowing all three to score plus one more he allowed on base.
DeNA manager Daisuke Miura accepted the blame for the loss.
"The rain was a factor, but if you are playing, things need to get done. This is the manager's responsibility," he said.
The Tigers are undefeated in their last nine games, including two ties.
Among other games on Wednesday, the Chunichi Dragons ended their five-game losing skid with a 3-2 win over the Yomiuri Giants, while the Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes beat the Seibu Lions 4-3 in 10 innings after their veteran closer, Yoshihisa Hirano, blew a three-run ninth-inning lead.
