OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — In a tense pitchers’ duel that defied pregame projections, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows edged the Hanshin Tigers 3-2 on Wednesday night at Osaka Dome, avenging a lopsided loss from the previous evening and tightening their grip atop the early-season standings.

A crowd of 42,571 watched as the Swallows, held in check for much of the night after a first-inning run, broke a 2-2 tie with a decisive two-out rally in the sixth inning, then relied on a parade of relievers to seal the victory. The win improved Yakult’s record to 8-2, while Hanshin fell to 7-4.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded in the top of the sixth inning, with the score locked at 2-2. Hanshin starter Easton Lucas, who had been effective through five frames, issued a leadoff walk to Domingo Santana. After a groundout and a strikeout, the Tigers were an out away from escaping the inning. But Yukihiro Iwata kept the rally alive with an infield single to second base. Shu Masuda then delivered the go-ahead run, lining a single to shallow left field to score Santana. Yoshihiro Akahane followed by lacing a double to the gap in right-center, bringing Iwata home with a crucial insurance run.

That two-out burst proved to be the difference, as Yakult’s deep and dominant bullpen took over from there. The Swallows used seven pitchers in total, with five combining for five perfect innings of relief after the sixth.

The game began with both teams striking quickly. Yakult’s Hideki Nagaoka led off the contest with a triple off Hanshin starter and losing pitcher Daiki Hayakawa and scored on Yudai Koga’s sacrifice fly. Hanshin answered in the bottom half against Yakult opener Kengo Matsumoto. Koji Chikamoto and Takumu Nakano opened with singles, and though Nakano was caught stealing, the Tigers pushed across two runs. Teruaki Sato drove in one with a sacrifice fly, and Seiya Kinami tied the game with a two-out RBI single.

From there, the starters settled in. Lucas, who took over for Hayakawa in the second, provided stability for Hanshin, ultimately charged with two runs on five hits over five innings, striking out six. Matsumoto went four innings for Yakult, allowing both Hanshin runs on five hits while striking out five.

The victory was earned by Yakult’s bullpen committee. Yu Hirosawa pitched a perfect fifth inning with two strikeouts to record the win, improving to 2-0. He was followed by scoreless innings from Tomoya Hoshi, Noboru Shimizu, and Jesus Liranzo. Closer Jose Quijada entered in the ninth to protect the one-run lead. He allowed a leadoff double to Seishiro Sakamoto and hit a batter with one out, putting the tying run on third and the winning run on first. But Quijada induced a flyout from Chikamoto and, with the crowd on its feet, struck out Nakano looking to end the game, securing his fourth save.

The result stood in stark contrast to both the previous night’s 9-3 Hanshin victory and the pregame analytics. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a high-scoring 8-5 Yakult win, while its ELO system gave Hanshin a 66.4% probability of victory. The Tigers had also been installed as pregame favorites with a -1.5 spread. The actual combined total of five runs went well under the over/under line of 5.5.

Offensively, Yakult’s eight hits were spread throughout the lineup, with Masuda and Akahane delivering the key sixth-inning hits. Hanshin managed just six hits, with Sakamoto’s ninth-inning double representing their only extra-base hit and last serious threat.

The Swallows, who have now won eight of their last nine, will look to take the series finale on Thursday in Osaka before heading to Tokyo for a weekend set against the Yomiuri Giants. The Tigers, after concluding this series, embark on a road trip to face the Chunichi Dragons in Nagoya.