Hanshin Tigers third baseman Teruaki Sato both gave and took away Wednesday, when he made up for a costly error with a pair of home runs in a 2-1 win over the Central League-leading Hiroshima Carp.
The win by the defending CL champions at Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium moved them to within two games of the Carp with roughly half a season left to play.
Sato, who has struggled offensively this season, opened the scoring in the second inning with his fourth home run. His two-out throwing error in the fifth gave the Carp their first base runner against Tigers lefty Kotaro Otake (5-4), and set up Hiroshima's tying run.
The Tigers broke the tie in the sixth on Sato's two-out homer off Carp starter Allen Kuri (4-5). Otake allowed two hits and no walks over seven innings, while three relievers kept the hosts in check over the final two innings.
Among other games on Wednesday, the Pacific League's second-place Lotte Marines came from behind to beat the third-place Nippon Ham Fighters 9-6, overcoming a third-inning grand slam by long-time Major League Baseball slugger Franmil Reyes.
