Orix 2, at Rakuten 1

SENDAI, Japan (Interstat) — In a tense pitchers’ duel that stretched into extra innings, the Orix Buffaloes defeated the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 2-1 in 11 innings on Sunday evening at Kleenex Stadium Miyagi. The game, played before a crowd of 26,022, was a stark contrast to the offensive output projected by pregame simulations, which had favored the Buffaloes 6-3. The combined three runs fell well below the over/under line of 6.0. The victory went to Orix pitcher Taisuke Yamaoka, who improved his season record to 5-3. Naoto Nishiguchi of Rakuten was tagged with the loss, his first of the… Read more...