The Yomiuri Giants paid tribute to one of their greatest former stars, SoftBank Hawks chairman Sadaharu Oh, before losing 2-0 to his current club as Japan pro baseball opened its interleague session on Tuesday.
The Pacific League-leading Hawks, who have thrived in interleague play since it was established in 2005, got six innings from Kohei Arihara (5-3) before three relievers completed the three-hit shutout at Tokyo Dome.
Ryoya Kurihara opened the scoring off Giants starter Iori Yamasaki (4-1) with a fifth-inning solo home run. At the conclusion of the inning, the 84-year-old Oh, who hit 868 career home runs as a Giant, took to the field to a huge reception.
"As a baseball player, it has been the ultimate life," he told the crowd.
In other action on Tuesday, when the PL teams traveled to Central League parks, the Lotte Marines beat the Yakult Swallows 5-3 in a rain-shortened game, winning nine straight decisions for the first time in 18 years.
The CL's Chunichi Dragons beat the Seibu Lions 3-0. The Dragons' third straight shutout win spoiled Seibu general manager Hisanobu Watanabe's return to the dugout as interim manager.
