TOKYO (Interstat) — Teruaki Sato homered and drove in three runs, and the Hanshin Tigers scored twice in the 11th inning to beat the Yakult Swallows 9-7 on Tuesday night at Meiji Jingu Stadium. The game, played before an announced attendance of 29,328, lasted 4 hours, 30 minutes. Hanshin improved to 74-58-1, while Yakult fell to 57-75-2. The visiting Tigers built an early lead, saw the Swallows rally to tie, and then pulled away in extra innings. Hanshin finished with 13 hits, and Yakult had 12.

Hanshin struck quickly against the Yakult pitching staff. Koji Chikamoto singled to shallow center to open the game, Takumu Nakano doubled on the right-field line, and Shota Morishita followed with a two-run double on the right-field line. Sato then launched a two-run home run to right, giving the Tigers four runs before Yakult recorded an out. Yusuke Ohyama flied out to shortstop, Nozomu Takatera flied out to right, and Hiyu Motoyama singled and stole second. Seishiro Sakamoto walked, but Masashi Itoh struck out swinging to end the inning. The four-run burst set the tone and gave Hanshin an early cushion.

Yakult answered in the bottom of the first. Hideki Nagaoka walked, and Shu Masuda hit a two-run home run to left-center. Jose Osuna and Domingo Santana each grounded out to shortstop, and Yoshihiro Akahane also grounded out to shortstop, trimming the Hanshin lead to 4-2. The Swallows could not sustain the momentum immediately, but they stayed within striking distance.

Hanshin added to its lead in the second. Chikamoto grounded out to shortstop, Nakano walked, and Morishita was hit by a pitch. Sato doubled on the left-field line to drive in one run, and Ohyama lifted a sacrifice fly to right that scored another. Takatera flied out to center, ending the inning with Hanshin ahead 6-2. Sato’s double and Ohyama’s sacrifice fly made the Tigers’ early advantage stand at four runs.

Yakult pitchers settled in after that. Shota Maruyama worked 2 2/3 innings in relief, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out four. Nash Walters followed with two innings, yielding one hit and no earned runs with one walk and one strikeout. Kota Shoji added one inning with one hit, no earned runs and one walk. Yuto Nakamura allowed two hits and one earned run over two innings with one walk and two strikeouts. Their work kept the Swallows close while the offense chipped away.

The Swallows cut into the deficit in the fourth. Akahane struck out looking, but Yukihiro Iwata singled to shallow center. Haruto Tanaka then homered to left-center, bringing Yakult within 6-4. Naoki Matsumoto grounded out to third, and Souma Uchiyama struck out swinging to end the inning. Tanaka’s two-run drive was part of a 1-for-5 night with a home run and two RBIs.

Hanshin got one run back in the sixth. Chikamoto tripled to right-center, and Nakano followed with a sacrifice fly to center. Morishita flied out to center, and Sato struck out swinging, but the Tigers had pushed their lead to 7-4. Chikamoto’s triple and Nakano’s fly ball gave Hanshin a key insurance run before Yakult’s next rally.

Yakult responded again in the bottom of the sixth. Akahane singled to shallow center, and Iwata singled to shallow left. Tanaka flied out to center, and Kyo Suzuki flied out to second, leaving runners on base. Ruito Nishimura then doubled to left-center, scoring two runs. Nagaoka struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Swallows had pulled within 7-6.

Kazuya Maruyama tied the game in the seventh with a solo home run to right. Osuna struck out looking before Maruyama’s drive, and Akahane struck out swinging after it. Maruyama, who entered as a pinch hitter and played right field, finished 2-for-2 with the home run and one RBI. The solo shot erased the remaining Hanshin lead and set up a tense finish.

Both bullpens held firm in the eighth and ninth. Taisei Kudo eventually delivered the biggest relief moment for Hanshin, working one inning and allowing one hit with no earned runs and two strikeouts. Hanshin’s Anderson Severino earned the win, improving to 1-0. Yakult’s Noboru Shimizu took the loss, falling to 2-4. Kudo recorded his 11th save of the season. The Tigers’ late relief kept Yakult from completing the comeback.

The game remained tied until the 11th. Ohyama singled to shallow left, and Takatera homered to right, scoring two runs. Hiyu Motoyama flied out to shortstop, Takahiro Kumagai struck out swinging, and Torai Fushimi struck out looking, but the damage was done. Takatera finished 1-for-6 with the home run and two RBIs. His two-run drive proved to be the decisive swing in a game that had featured several lead changes and momentum shifts.

Yakult tried to answer in the bottom of the 11th. Nishimura struck out swinging, Nagaoka lined out to second, and Masuda singled to shallow left to keep the inning alive. Ayuto Matsushita struck out swinging to end the game. Masuda went 2-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs, while Kazuya Maruyama and Tanaka also homered for the Swallows. Hanshin’s Sato led the Tigers with a 2-for-6 night that included one home run and three RBIs. His first-inning homer and second-inning double accounted for all three of his RBIs and helped Hanshin build the lead it needed to withstand Yakult’s rally.

Sato was the game’s top performer, going 2-for-6 with one home run and three RBIs. Shota Maruyama gave Yakult 2 2/3 innings of one-hit, no-earned-run relief with four strikeouts. Nash Walters followed with two innings of one-hit, no-earned-run relief with one walk and one strikeout. Kudo worked a scoreless inning with one hit and two strikeouts. Kazuya Maruyama went 2-for-2 with a home run and one RBI. Tanaka was 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Takatera was 1-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs. Kota Shoji pitched one inning with one hit, no earned runs and one walk. Yuto Nakamura allowed two hits and one earned run in two innings with one walk and two strikeouts. Masuda went 2-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs.

The teams are scheduled to meet again Wednesday at Meiji Jingu Stadium. Hanshin continues its road trip Friday at Yokohama, while Yakult returns home Friday against Chunichi. The Tigers have now won three of their past four games, including Monday’s 3-2, 11-inning victory over Yokohama. Yakult has lost three of four and remains in the final stretch of the 2026 season.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Hanshin Tigers 1, Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3. Interstat’s ELO system had given Hanshin a 62.5 percent probability to win. Hanshin had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +1.5. The total score of 16 went under the over/under line of 7.5.