The Nippon Ham Fighters blew a two run lead in the fifth, but they then pushed across single runs in the eighth and ninth to snag a 5-3 victory over Yokohama at Yokohama Stadium for their ninth win in a row. Mitsuo Yoshikawa started for Nippon Ham and was in for only 4.2 innings of three run, two earned, ball on four hits, so reliever Takehiko Oshimoto was credited with the shiroboshi after he fashioned 2.1 scoreless innings. 

Takeharu Kato started for the Bay Stars and twirled five innings of three run, seven hit ball and also walked three in a no decision. 

Yokohama initially head the edge, as Yoshikawa plunked shortstop Shingo Nonaka with one out in the first and, one out later, third baseman Shuichi Murata spanked a single to center that went through centerfielder Hichori Morimoto for a two base error that permitted Nonaka to circle the bases for a 1-0 lead. 

They would subsequently put men on second and third with two outs in the second, but second baseman Toshihisa Nishi flied out to leave them loitering. 

The Fighters had men on first and third with two outs in the second and that was cashiered on a strikeout. A double play ball repressed a two on and one out chance they had in the third as well. 

They also loaded the bases in the fourth, but Yoshikawa was next and struckout. 

Nippon Ham finally got on the big board in the fifth when second baseman Kensuke Tanaka tripled to left and tagged up ande crossed on rightfielder Atsunori Inaba's flyout to left. First baseman Fernando Seguignol walked. Third baseman Eiichi Koyano homered to left and it was 3-1 Fighters. 

However, Yosuke Shimokubo pinch hit for Kato in the bottom of the frame and singled to right. One out later, Nonaka also singled to right and Shimokubo hustled into third. Leftfielder Takahiro Saeki doubled to right and while Shimokubo jogged in Nonaka streaked to the plate to knot it at three all. That was it for Yoshikawa and Oshimoto entered from the bullpen. Saeki either got picked off or was out trying to steal third to end the inning. 

But in the eighth, Seguignol doubled to left and Koyano singled to right. One out later, pinch hitter Tomoyuki Oda walked to pack the sacks. Shortstop Makoto Kaneko singled to left to cash Seguignol in for a 4-3 advantage. It stopped there, though, as Yukio Tanaka pinch hit for Oshimoto and grounded into a 1-6-3 double play. 

The Stars put two on with two outs in the last of the inning and were frustrated when pinch hitter Takanori Suzuki grounded out to first. 

The Fighters used a walk to Morimoto, a sacrifice, a single to left from Inaba and Kazuya Takamiya's wild pitch to make it 5-3 in the ninth. Closer Michael Nakamura assembled a 1-2-3 bottom portion and that was the ballgame. 

Yokohama has now lost four straight and fell into fifth. 

For Nippon Ham, Seguignol was 2-4 with a walk and is at .237. 

The Yakult Swallows batted around in the fifth inning against Orix Friday at Meiji Jingu Stadium and then hung on for a 5-3 victory. Masato Yoshii started for the Buffaloes and went two innings of five run, six hit ball and walked three to absorb the loss and perhaps get himself a ticket to the minors. He is now 1-6 with a 5.75 ERA. 

Kazuhisa Ishii started for Yakult and went six innings of three run ball on seven hits and struckout seven without walking anyone to improve to 4-5. 

Orix leftfielder Tuffy Rhodes smacked an Ishii delivery into the rightfield seats to begin the second for a 1-0 lead and to make it four consecutive games with a dinger for the former Cub, the fifth time in his Japanese career he has done that. 

But then the Swallows took their turn and wiped the floor with the ex-Met Yoshii. Shortstop Shinya Miyamoto walked with one out and third baseman Yasushi Iihara singled to left. Catcher Tomohito Yoneno doubled to left and both Miyamoto and Iihara scampered homeward. One out later, centerfielder Norichika Aoki was intentionally walked to get to second baseman Hiroyasu Tanaka, who beat out an infield roller to load the bases. Leftfielder Alex Ramirez then cleaned up the community with a double to left for a 5-1 advantage. They would garner only one more hit over the remainder of the contest. 

Orix put two on with two out in the third and that brought up third baseman Greg LaRocca, but he struckout to sabotage the uprising. 

They would creep a little closer, though, in the fifth, as shortstop Keiji Obiki doubled to right and went to third on a groundout. The pitcher's spot was next, so Eiji Mizuguchi pinch hit and singled to center to show Obiki in and make it 5-2. 

LaRocca pasted an Ishii offering into the leftfield stands to trim, it to 5-3 in the sixth, but Ishii and two relievers retired the following nine in a row to take it into the ninth. 

Shingo Takatsu emerged from the bullpen and got two quick outs, but Arihito Muramatsu banged a pinch hit single to center. Shinji Shimoyama pinch hit for Obiki representing the tying run. He grounded out to short, however, and the W was entered in the Swallows column. 

For Yakult, Ramirez was 1-4 and is at .330. Rightfielder Aaron Guiel was 0-3 with a walk and three strikeouts and is at .248. 

For Orix, rightfielder Chad Allen was 2-4 and is at .238. LaRocca was 1-4 and is at .328. Rhodes was 1-4 with two strikeouts and is at .279. 

First baseman Tyrone Woods is leading Yomiuri first baseman Seung-yeop Lee in the all star balloting at that position by 4,000 votes and hopes to see his first appearance in the Japanese midsummer classic. It may seem amazing that Woods, who has a couple of homer titles, has never appeared in an all star game, but he has been a notoriously slow starter and that has cost him. This year, though, he is well over .300 and is tops in homers and RBIs. 

Hanshin Pitcher Shinobu Fukuhara tweaked his back throwing in the bullpen Friday and may be held out of his scheduled start on the 3rd against Nippon Ham.

Apparently there is a 100 strong association in the Kansai region (Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe, etc) of Taiwanese named Lin and they are calling on all those folks with that surname across the globe to vote for Tigers outfielder Lin Wei-tzu into the all star series. Lin is currently tenth in the CL balloting despite leading the club in hitting. The chairman of the club of Lins estimates that there are 70 million folks with that name spread out over the planet. There is internet all star voting in NPB. 

To nobody's suprise, closer Kyuji Fujikawa has the leading tally in the closer's department. 

Yomiuri For his big pinch hit grand slam the other night, manager Tatsunori Hara gave outfielder Kenji Yano 100,000 yen (about $800) in kantokusho cash (what the foreign players call "fight money"). 

Miscellaneous Seattle centerfielder Ichiro Suzuki set a new team record when he went 2-5 with an RBI Friday against Texas to stretch his hit streak to 25 games, eclispsing the old mark of 24 held by former infielder Joey Cora. Unfortunately, the M's lost 9-8.

Catcher Kenji Johjima was 1-4 in that game while Rangers reliever Akinori  Otsuka tossed a perfect eighth. 

During pre-game workouts, Japanese olympic figure skating gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa net with the three aforementioned me and told the press afterward that Ichiro has a special aura about him. She also averred that he was nicer than what she had expected. 

Colorado second baseman Kazuo Matsui was 1-2 Friday against Cincininati after coming on as a pinch hitter. 

Yankees leftfielder Hideki Matsui was 1-4 against Boston Friday in a 9-5 victory. 

Cardinals outfielder So Taguchi was 1-3 in an 8-1 win against Houston. 

Dodgers closer Takashi Saito was flawless over the course of 1.2 innings against Pittsburgh Friday in a 5-4 victory that allowed him to nail his 16th save. 

Tampa Bay third baseman Akinori Iwamura was 1-3 against Kansas City in a 4-1 loss. 

Chicago White Sox second baseman Tadahito Iguchi was 2-4 with two RBIs and stole a base against Toronto in a 3-0 triumph.