Fighters Rally Late, Top Buffaloes in Playoff Thriller
SAPPORO, Japan (Interstat) — Kotaro Kiyomiya hit a two-run triple and Franmil Reyes delivered a two-run single in the eighth inning as the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters rallied to defeat the Orix Buffaloes 5-4 in a playoff game Sunday at Sapporo Dome. Orix built a 4-1 lead on a solo home run by Yutaro Sugimoto and a three-run homer from Kotaro Kurebayashi. The Fighters’ bullpen, led by winning pitcher Kenta Uehara and Yukiya Saito, who earned the save, combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. A crowd of 35,024 watched the game, which lasted 3 hours, 20 minutes.