Rakuten 3, at SoftBank 2

FUKUOKA, Japan (Interstat) — In a tense pitchers’ duel that defied pregame projections, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles edged the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 3-2 on Wednesday night, securing their second consecutive one-run victory in this series at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome. A crowd of 38,057 watched as the Golden Eagles, cast as significant underdogs, used timely hitting and a masterful performance from starter Tatsuki Koja to hand the Hawks their second straight loss and even the season series between the Pacific League rivals. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a high-scoring 6-5 SoftBank victory, with the Hawks given a 67.6 percent probability… Read more...