Masaru Fujii pitched six strong innings, leading the Rakuten Eagles to a 6-2 win over the Nippon Ham Fighters on Sunday.
Fujii (6-1) won his sixth consecutive decision after allowing one unearned run and six hits in a 104-pitch outing at Es Con Field Hokkaido, just outside Sapporo. The Fighters grounded into three double plays against the left-hander.
Yuya Ogo's RBI triple gave the visitors the lead for good at 2-1 in a three-run fifth inning off Takayuki Kato (3-5). Rakuten's Ryosuke Tatsumi hit a solo home run in the fourth, his second of the season.
Among the day's other games, the Pacific League-leading SoftBank Hawks played out a 6-6, 12-inning tie with the Lotte Marines.
Orix Buffaloes rookie reliever Seiryu Kotajima tied a Nippon Professional Baseball record by extending his scoreless streak since his debut to 22 appearances.
The 24-year-old right-hander retired the only batter he faced in the eighth inning of the Buffaloes' 4-1 win over the Seibu Lions.
