The Seibu Lions amassed four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning at Seibu Dome to dissolve a 2-2 deadlock and claim a 6-2 victory over the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Hideak  Wakui started for the Tokorozawa nine and went 7.2 innings of two run, nine hit ball on 137 pitches for his Japanese baseball best tying tenth win of the campaign.

Satoshi Nagai started for Rakuten and was in for 5.2 innings of four run (three earned) ball on eight hits for his fourth defeat. 

Wakui appeared to be headed for an early shower in the second, as Eagles third baseman Rick Short singled to center and first baseman Jose Fernandez walked. Centerfielder Teppei Tsuchiya grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, but leftfielder Fumitoshi Takano and catcher Motohiro Shima both walked to load the bases. Fortunately for Wakui, shortstop Naoto Watanabe grounded to short to throw cold water on the fire. 

But in the third, second baseman Yosuke Takasu singled to right and, one out later, Wakui plunked DH Takeshi Yamasaki. Short doubled to right Takasu and Yamasaki both hotfooted it home for a 2-0 lead. A flyout and a groundout stranded Short. 

Seibu halved the deficit in the fourth when DH Alex Cabrera crushed a forkball over the centerfield wall to make it 2-1. One out later, first baseman Akira Etoh doubled to left and rightfielder Takahiko Sato walked. But catcher Toru Hosokawa grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to foil the rally. 

In the fifth, though, it would become a whole new ballgame, as centerfielder Kazuki Fukuchi reached on an infield hit and, one out later, shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima walked. Cabrera singled to center to usher Fukuchi in to even it at two all. Leftfielder Kazuhiro Wada flew out to center and it remained tied. 

The Lions would then blow it open in the sixth when Etoh singled to left and, two outs later, third baseman Yoshihito Ishii singled to right. Nagai was given the hook and Koji Aoyama was put in his stead. Fukuchi walked to pack the sacks. Takumi Kuriyama pinch hit for second baseman Yasuyuki Kataoka and grounded right to Takasu, who just flat out Steve Saxed it by first baseman Jose Fernandez and Kuriyam was given an RBI on Etoh while the error was ruled to having contributed to Ishii journeying home on the play. That also put runners on second and third and Nakajima made them count by banging a single to right for a 6-2 advantage. That was their last hit of the night. 

Wakui had dispensed with a two on and nobody out predicament in the fifth with a double play ball and a groundout and allowed a man on in the sixth and seventh, too and got through those patches. But in the eighth, Yamasaki walked and, two outs later, Tsuchiya singled to right. Manager Tsutomu Itoh then got on the horn to Koji Mitsui, who struckout pinch hitter Kenshi Kawaguchi to snuff the revolt. 

Chikara Onodera was inserted for the Lions in the ninth and he walked Daisuke Kusano, who was pinch hitting for Shima. Watanabe singled to left. However, Takasu struckout, rightfielder Koichi Isobe flew out to right and Yamasaki flew out to center to bring the curtain down on this thing. 

Japan is in the midst of the season known as tsuyu, when it is hot and steamy. Wakui changed his undershirt after every inning because of the high humidity. 

This was the 72nd birthday of Eagles skipper Katsuya Nomura, who had won his last four such occasions while helming a team, but it wasn't to be here. He is hoping that his club can win 72 games.

For Seibu, Cabrera was 2-4 and is at .329. 

For Rakuten, Short was 2-4 and is at .323. Fernandez was 0-3 with a walk and is at .222. 

Chiba Lotte Marines submariner Shunsuke Watanabe and Softbank southpaw Toshiya Sugiuchi hooked up in a heck of a pitching duel Friday at Fukuoka Dome, as they each tossed eight shutout innings. However, Hawks rightfielder Hiroshi Shibahara homered in the bottom of the ninth to decide it for the home side in a 1-0 final. Sugiuchi, who went all the way on five hits and nine strikeouts, notched his tenth win of the year while Watanabe, who also went the distance, is now 6-3. 

Both moundsmen were perfect for the first two innings, but in the third, Softbank catcher Hiroaki Takaya walked with one down and, one out later, centerfielder Naoyuki Omura singled to center. But second baseman Yuichi Honda grounded to short and Watanabe largely cruised form there through six. 

Sugiuchi was no hitting Lotte over the intial four innings, but was then presented with a dilemma in the fifth. Catcher Tomoya Satozaki singled to left and, one out later, leftfielder Naotaka Takehara doubled down the leftfield line. Second baseman Koichi Hori, though, flew out to shallow right and third baseman Takeshi Aono whiffed and those were their last baserunners until the eighth. 

So it remained 0-0, but the Hawks endeavored to change that in the seventh. Shibahara doubled to left and went to third on a sacrifice. The infield was brought up. Takaya grounded to short and Shibahara held while the out was recorded at first. First baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda grounded to second that that was that. 

The Marines got a leadoff single to center from Takehara in the eighth and he was pinch run for by speedster Takenori Daita, who was sacrificed over. Aono flew out to left. Shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka singled to left and Daita could only advance to third. Centerfielder Daisuke Hayakawa, who has been a huge factor for them this season, flew out to right and it deep sixed the opportunity. 

Satozaki singled to left with two outs in the ninth and was paralyzed when DH Benny Agbayani flew out to right.

So it went into the bottom of the inning and with two outs, Watanabe hung a second pitch slow curve ball to Shibahara, who drilled it off the rightfield foul pole, and the birds of prey scooped up a 1-0 triumph. 

The whitewash was Sugiuchi's third of the season. 

Shibahara had his first three hit showing for the first time in 36 games. 

For Lotte, Agbayani was 0-4 with two strikeouts and is at .310. 

A bases clearing double by Orix DH Tuffy Rhodes lent the Buffaloes all they needed to snare a 4-1 victory Friday at Osaka Dome over Nippon Ham. Tom Davey went seven innings of one run, six hit ball and struckout five while walking one in a no decision. 

Yu Darvish started for the Fighters and was clocked at 95mph, but he also coughed up all four of the herd's runs on five hits in 7.2 innings for his fourth loss. 

Nippon Ham leftfielder Takahito Kudoh singled to left in the third and went to second on a sacrifice. One out later, centerfielder Hichori Morimoto walked. But second baseman Kensuke Tanaka grounded to first to kill the rally off. 

In the fourth, Fighters rightfielder Atsunori Inaba doubled to left and went to third on a groundout. But a strikeout and a flyout disappeared the chance. 

Morimoto, though, leadoff the sixth with a double to center and advanced on a sacrifice. Inaba singled to center and Morimoto chugged in for a 1-0 lead. DH Fernando Seguignol grounded into a double play to bog things down. 

Darvish had one hit the Buffaloes over the first seven innings, that lone knock being of the infield variety and had only one minor jam in the fourth when he walked and hit a man with nobody out before inducing a strikeout, a flyout and a groundout to solve the problem. But in the eighth, pinch hitter and former Fighter Kuniyuki Kimoto singled to left with one out and, one out later, centerfielder Keiichi Hirano singled to right to put men on first and third. Leftfielder Arihito Muramatsu rolled a ground ball toward short and beat it out for an RBI single. Darvish nailed third baseman Greg LaRocca to load the bases. Rhodes doubled off the leftfield wall and cleaned up the community for a 4-1 advantage and knock Darvish out of the box. Shintaro Ejiro was entrusted with the ball and first baseman Hirotoshi Kitagawa singled to center and Rhodes made the turn for home, but was gunned down for the last out. 

Daisuke Kato retired three of the four men he faced in the ninth to put it in the books and end Orix' loss string at four. It also preserved a win for fellow reliever Tsuyoshi Kikuchihara, who was perfect in the eighth. 

For Nippon Ham, Seguignol was 0-4 and is at .259. First baseman Mitch Jones, in his Japan debut, went 0-4 with two strikeouts and is at .000. 

For Orix, LaRocca was 0-2 with a walk and an HBP and is at .305. Rhodes was 1-4 with two strikeouts and is at .283. Rightfielder Chad Allen was 0-3 and is at .277. 

Pitcher Yasutomo Kubo will be out six weeks minimum after being diagnosed with a broken pincky finger on his glove hand Thursday, the result of taking a liner off of it in a recent game. 

Nippon Ham Outfielder Mitch Jones had his introductory press conference Wednesday before being whisked off to the Fighters minor league club, for whom he started at first base against Yokohama's affiliate and went 1-4 with two strikeouts. 

Pitcher Ryan   Glynn was named the MVP of the interleague schedule after he went 5-0 with a 1.01 ERA over that span.In addition to a trophy, he also pocketed two million yen (about $16,000). 

Orix DH Kazuhiro Kiyohara has returned to Japan after having his knees examined at Dr. Frank Jobe's clinic. The results haven't been announced yet, but that will occur in the next couple of days. 

The Buffaloes have moved pitcher Masato Yoshii to Lotte, where he will be reunited with manager Bobby Valentine, in exchange for seldom used outfielder Koji Hirashita. Yoshii could very well start on July third against the Buffaloes, according to Hochi Sports. 

Pitcher Dan Serafini rejoined the club Friday after going to the U.S. to have a procedure done on a broken pinky finger. Boy, there sure has been a lot of that with the Marines this year. Julio Zuleta is recovering from the same injury. 

Rakuten Rui Makino made a start in the Eastern League Thursday and went 6.2 innings of two run, five hit ball. That will likely earn him a ticket back up to the big club in the coming days, where he will relieve and spot start.

Yasuhiro Ichiba made a minor league start Wednesday in his first appearance in two months and went three shutout innings on five hits. He was clocked at 89mph. Manager Katsuya Nomura wasn't pleased by the hitability of Ichiba's heater, so he will be spending probably another month on the farm to work back into shape. 

Closer Kazuo Fukumori qualified for free agency and the team would like to keep him. Fukumori expressed gratitude to the fans of the club for giving him a chance to make a name for himself with the Eagles, which seemed to indicate that he is leaning toward staying even though he should receive several offers from other NPB outfits, with Lotte, Orix and Yakult being especially likely. 

Lotte will almost certainly lose Masahide Kobayashi to free agency this offseason, probably to Yomiuri, which doesn't quite trust Kiyoshi Toyoda and who will probably put closer of the moment Koji Uehara back into the starting rotation in 2008, if not sooner. So Fukumori would be a cheaper closing alternative than attempting to reup Kobayashi. 

The organization is embarrassed by the all star voting results that has eight of their players leading the balloting and are asking for a special dispensation from NPB to allow its players who don't want to play to withdraw without penalty. As the rules stand at present, if a player is voted on to the all star team and withdraws without league permission he is penalized with a ten game suspension begining with the first match of the second half of the regular schedule. 

Seibu As you may know, Lions pitcher Jason Johnson suffers from type one diabetes. He had an episode Thursday during practice and was given some orange juice to help raise his blood sugar level before being sent back to the hotel. This won't change when he makes his next start, but the team's medical staff are keeping an eye on him. 

Seibu Holdings held its stockholders meeting Thursday and company officials got a tongue lashing about the payoffs scandal that rocked the club and they didn't like naming rights to Seibu Dome as well as its minor league squad being sold for $20 million over five years to the Goodwill Group, a subsidiary of which is currently being scrutinized for legal irregularites by authorities. The stockholders are calling for the contract with Goodwill, which is no relation to the U.S. outfit that employs the handicapped, to be vacated. Stockholders also said that company management is acting with "no sense of urgency" in alleviating these problems.