TOKYO (Interstat) — Taichi Yamano pitched seven strong innings and Domingo Santana hit a decisive home run as the Yakult Swallows edged the Yomiuri Giants 3-2 on Saturday night at Tokyo Dome.

Yakult struck early when Kyo Suzuki tripled home two runs in the first inning. Yomiuri’s Shinnosuke Yamase answered with a solo homer in the third. Santana’s solo shot in the seventh restored a two-run lead before Hayato Sakamoto homered for the Giants in the bottom half.

Yamano earned the win, allowing two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts over seven innings. Bryan Mata took the loss for Yomiuri. Jose Quijada pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save. A crowd of 41,901 watched the game, which lasted 2 hours, 55 minutes. Yakult improved to 9-4, while Yomiuri fell to 7-6.