Baseball: Trailblazer Stewart earns 1st Japan win

Carter Stewart Jr., the first marquee American amateur to turn his back on MLB and start his pro career in Japan, earned his first win in Nippon Professional Baseball’s top flight Wednesday in the SoftBank Hawks’ 7-1 victory over the Orix Buffaloes.

At the Buffaloes’ Kyocera Dome Osaka, the 23-year-old Stewart (1-2) allowed an unearned run on six hits and a walk over six innings while striking out six a night after SoftBank snapped a 12-game losing streak.

The 1.98-meter right-hander signed with SoftBank in 2019 after turning down the Atlanta Braves, who made Stewart the eighth overall pick in...