Masanori Hayashi started for Yomiuri and went six decent innings of three run ball on seven hits while striking out seven and walking two, but was left with a no decision. 

Fukuhara went seven innings and was charged with three unearned runs on six hits. He had been 5-11 lifetime through last season against the Giants, but has prevailed in all three of his starts against them in 2004 to help the Tigers win each of the three series with them so far this year.

Fukuhara had a minor two on, two out jam in the second, but Hayashi lined out to short. Hanshin then grabbed the game's first lead in the top of the third, when centerfielder Norihiro Akahoshi and shortstop Atsushi Fujimoto singled to left with two outs and second baseman Makoto Imaoka, virtually automatic with runners in scoring position, picked Akahoshi up with a knock to center to make it 1-0.

But Imaoka made a critical error in the fifth. Yomiuri catcher Shinnosuke Abe kicked it off with a single to right and shortstop Daisuke Motoki grounded to Imaoka. With Abe passing in front of him, Imaoka gloved the ball and tagged Abe with his mit. Unfortunately, the ball was already in his throwing hand, so the tag was no good and the peg to first was late and everybody was safe. Hayashi sacrificed the runners along. One out later, leftfielder Takayuki Shimizu grounded to Fujimoto, who threw wide of first and Abe crossed. Fukuhara unleashed a wild pitch with centerfielder Tuffy Rhodes at the plate and it was 2-1 Giants. Rhodes walked. Rightfielder Yoshinobu Takahashi singled to left to plate Shimizu and it was 3-1.

But Imaoka and Fujimoto atoned for those mistakes by singling to right and left respectively beginning the sixth. Leftfielder Tomoaki Kanemoto walked to load the bases. Rightfielder Shinjiro Hiyama grounded to second and Imaoka hustled in to put it at 3-2 Giants. One out later, they reloaded the bases on a walk by Kentaro Sekimoto, but catcher Akihiro Yano grounded to thitd for the last out of the frame.

In the seventh, though, Hayashi hung an 0-1 forkball to Fukuhara, who took an ugly swing, ending up somewhat on his front foot, and deposited it about 405 feet away to leftcenter to equalize it at 3-3 and knock Hayashi out of the game. 

Brian Sikorsky finished that seventh for Hayashi and came out again for the eighth. After Kanemoto whiffed, Hiyama picked on a first pitch
89mph fastball and hammered it into the centerfield seats to make it 4-3 Hanshin. Yuya Ando and Jeff Williams then held the Giants order to a pair of walks over the course of the eighth and ninth to put it in the bag for the Osaka contingent. 

Fukuhara has one other career homer, which was off of Yomiuri moundsman Masaaki Saito in 2001. He was clocked at 92mph. 

Hiyama slumped in April, but he made an adjustment to his swing and is batting .405 in May. 
 

Photo:  Shinjiro Hiyama's Hips are Bailing Out, But He Still Goes Yard

Photo:  Shinobu Fukuhara on His Front Foot and Gone

Since their game with Yakult was rained out, the Dragons held an intrasquad match with Kenjiro Kawasaki starting for one of the two squads. He went an inning and surrendered a homer on a hanging changeup to So Tsustui. Kawasaki will make a minor league start on the 16th. 

Reliever Marc Valdes suddenly showed up in Nagoya Thursday and said that not only has he started throwing again, but that he hopes to rejoin the team by the end of the month. Coaches hadn't expected the former Brave to ba back until mid-June. 

Daiei manager Sadaharu Oh, who obstructed Randy Bass, Tuffy 

Down on the farm for Anaheim, former Orix hurler Yoshitaka Mizuo
came on in the sixth inning of a game with Albuquerque Thursday and allowed a run on one hit in two innings. 

Dodgers righthander Hideo Nomo didn't have a thing again against the Chicago Cubs and was gone after 1.1 innings and six runs to fall to 3-4.  His velocity was horrible, as he was only around 84-85mph and he left everything up. He has now lost his last three and it halted a six game Dodgers winning streak. Is he washed up?

Chicago White Sox reliever Shingo Takatsu went 2/3 of an inning in the second game of a doubleheader against Baltimore Thursday and

Mets shortstop Kazuo Matsui had an infield single and a walk, two steals and two runs scored in four trips to the plate to extend his hitting streak to five against Arizona Thursday. New York took it 7-4.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki went 2-4 Thursday against Minnesota to lengthen his hitting streak to 12 games and raise his average to .301. However, the Twins won it and the M's losing string is now five games. 

Voting for the NPB all star series gets underway on the 15th. You can vote on the internet  Here. The games themselves will be held on July 10th at Nagoya Dome at 6:15 p.m. and then at Nagano Undo Koen Stadium on July 11th at 6:30 p.m. Each side will have 28 players. They will use the designated hitter and games will end after nine innings. Deadline for balloting is June 20th.