OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — A fast start and a strong bullpen effort propelled the Hanshin Tigers to a 4-3 victory over the Yokohama BayStars on Thursday night, securing a series win at a packed Osaka Dome.

A crowd of 36,174 watched the Tigers improve to 4-2, while the BayStars fell to a disappointing 1-5 to open the Central League season.

The game’s decisive moment came early, as Hanshin’s offense erupted against Yokohama starter Yu Takeda in the bottom of the first inning. After a groundout and a single by Takumu Nakano, Shota Morishita worked a walk to set the table. Cleanup hitter Teruaki Sato then delivered the first big blow, lacing a double to left-center field to score Nakano and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Following a flyout, shortstop Seiya Kinami provided the critical hit, singling to shallow left to plate both Morishita and Sato, staking Hanshin to a commanding 3-0 lead before Yokohama had recorded a second hit.

That early outburst proved sufficient, though the BayStars chipped away relentlessly. Hanshin starter Takato Ihara was sharp, holding Yokohama to one hit over five innings, but that hit was costly. With two outs in the fourth, Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh walked and scored on an RBI double by Toshiro Miyazaki, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

Ihara earned the win, improving to 1-0. Takeda took the loss, falling to 0-1 after allowing three runs on six hits over four innings.

The Tigers added what became a vital insurance run in the second inning without the benefit of a hit. Seishiro Sakamoto led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Ihara, and scored on a two-out single by Koji Chikamoto, making it 4-0.

Yokohama continued its methodical comeback in the sixth against reliever Rafael Dolis. With two outs, Tsutsugoh walked again and Miyazaki singled. Keita Sano followed with a single to center, scoring Tsutsugoh to pull the BayStars within 4-2.

The visitors threatened to erase the lead entirely in the eighth. Facing Dauri Moreta, Shugo Maki and Ryuki Watarai singled, and Tsutsugoh added another single to load the bases with no outs. Miyazaki then grounded out to second, scoring Maki and moving the tying run to third with only one out. But Moreta induced a crucial ground ball double play from Sano to end the inning, preserving a narrow 4-3 lead for Hanshin.

Yokohama mounted one final challenge in the ninth against closer Suguru Iwazaki. After two quick outs, pinch-hitter Dayan Viciedo singled to bring the potential winning run to the plate. Iwazaki, however, got Yuudai Yamamoto to fly out to left field, sealing the victory and earning his second save of the season.

The Tigers’ bullpen, after Ihara’s departure, combined for four innings of two-run ball. Key relief performances included a scoreless inning from Moreta and the game-ending effort from Iwazaki. For Yokohama, relievers Tatsuya Hashimoto, Yuya Sakamoto, and Teruki Yoshino provided four innings of scoreless relief to keep the game close, but the early deficit was too large to overcome.

Kinami led the Tigers’ nine-hit attack, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Miyazaki was the standout for Yokohama, driving in two of their three runs with a double and a single.

The win gave Hanshin a 2-1 series victory after the teams split the first two games. The result defied the pregame spread, which had installed Yokohama as a 1.5-run favorite, though the total score of seven runs did exceed the over/under line of 6.0.

The BayStars will look to halt their early-season slide when they open a three-game series against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo on Friday. The Tigers, meanwhile, head to Hiroshima to begin a three-game set with the Carp on Friday.