Roki Sasaki yielded five runs over 5-2/3 innings and was tagged with a loss in his worst start this year as the Nippon Ham Fighters beat the Lotte Marines 6-3 on Friday, snapping their three-game skid in the Pacific League.
Sasaki (3-2) gave up a solo home run to Fighters cleanup Ariel Martinez off his first pitch in the second inning and four more in the sixth in a forgettable outing at Es Con Field Hokkaido. The flamethrower hurled 123 pitches, the most in his five-year pro career.
Neftali Soto's two-run shot in the fourth and a Yudai Fujioka RBI single in the fifth gave the Marines a 3-1 lead. But Sasaki, who allowed at least a hit and walk in every inning bar the first, could not stem the tide in the sixth.
After allowing a one-out single and double, Go Matsumoto's blooper to right with two outs plated two runs to tie the game. Another hit left runners on the corners before Sasaki got the hook. But reliever Daiki Iwashita issued a walk before Yua Tamiya cleared the bases with a double.
Sasaki gave up eight hits, while the five walks issued were the most in his pro career as the Marines' four-game winning run came to an end.
Elsewhere, Sheldon Neuse singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth as the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers edged the DeNA BayStars 4-3.
