Baseball: Tongu, Sugimoto homers power Buffaloes over Tigers

Yuma Tongu and Yutaro Sugimoto belted ninth-inning solo home runs to bring the two-time defending Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes from behind in a 3-2 interleague win Thursday over the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers.

Trailing 2-1 with one out against Tigers closer Atsuki Yuasa (0-2) at Hyogo Prefecture’s Koshien Stadium near Osaka, Tongu tied it with his fifth home run of the season.

With two outs, Sugimoto, the PL’s 2021 home run leader, hit his 10th off a 3-2 pitch, a mammoth blast that landed well up into the venerable ballpark’s left-field stands.

“I went to the plate relaxed...