Tanaka strikes out 18 as Eagles beat Hawks 5-0 in Pacific League

Masahiro Tanaka flirted with the record books by striking out 18 Softbank Hawks batters, and the Rakuten Eagles shut out the Pacific League leaders for the second consecutive game, 5-0, on Saturday night at Kleenex Stadium in Sendai. Tanaka’s 18 K’s were just one shy of the all-time NPB record, set by Koji Noda of the Orix Buffaloes in 1995.

The Eagles got all the offense they would need in the second inning, scoring three runs on just two hits. With one out, Hawks starter Toshiya Sugiuchi (7-5) walked right fielder Yakihisa Makida and beaned centerfielder Ryo Hijirisawa with a changeup on a 1-2 count. Shortstop Kaz Matsui followed with a double to left to drive in both runners.

Second baseman Kensuke Uchimura then hit a sharp single to right, and Matsui just beat Hitoshi Tamamura’s throw home to put the Eagles ahead 3-0. Rakuten tacked on a pair of runs with two outs in the third on back-to-back RBI singles by Makida and Hijirisawa.

Tanaka (13-4) lowered his NPB-leading ERA to 1.40 with the shutout, allowing just six hits and one walk to go with his 18 strikeouts. His only serious trouble came in the fifth, when the Hawks loaded the bases with one out. Tanaka escaped the jam by fanning catcher Katsuki Yamazaki and shortstop Munenori Kawasaki.

Elsewhere in the Pacific League, Chiba beat Orix 3-1 and Nippon Ham edged Seibu 4-3. In the Central League, Chunichi shut out Yokohama 2-0 and Yomiuri beat Hiroshima 2-1. The game between league-leading Yakult and second-place Hanshin was rained out.

© Japan Today