Baseball: Dragons birthday boy Hosokawa blows out Swallows

Seiya Hosokawa celebrated the best baseball birthday of his pro career, homering twice and driving in six runs Friday for the Chunichi Dragons in an 11-1 beating of the Yakult Swallows.

Hosokawa, who spent the bulk of his first six pro seasons on the DeNA BayStars’ farm team, was serenaded by fans singing “Happy Birthday” at the Dragons’ Vantelin Dome Nagoya, and everything went the 25-year-old’s way from there.

With two on and two out in the first inning, his pop up to shallow right fell uncaught for a fluke two-run double. He then helped roll up the score on the two-time defending CL champio...