Baseball: Osuna, Yamada power Swallows past Tigers

Sports

Home runs by Jose Osuna and Tetsuto Yamada broke up a scintillating pitchers’ duel Friday, leading the Central League champion Yakult Swallows past the Hanshin Tigers 3-1.

Before 42,465 at historic Koshien Stadium outside Osaka, Osuna tied the game 1-1 in the seventh with a solo homer off Tigers starter Koyo Aoyagi. Yamada then broke the game open with a two-run eighth-inning homer off reliever Masumi Hamachi (1-1).

With one out and one on, Hamachi threw a good 1-0 fastball up in the zone, but Yamada stayed on it, blasting it out for his second home run.

“I was ready to swing hard from the fir...

Kyodo News

Kyodo News