Baseball: Chikamoto blast helps Tigers finish sweep of Giants

Koji Chikamoto broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run home run, boosting the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers toward a 5-2 win Thursday over the Yomiuri Giants and a three-game series sweep.

Minutes after an error allowed Hanshin to tie it 1-1, Chikamoto blasted an inside fastball from Shosei Togo (10-3) and pulled it into Tokyo Dome’s right-field stands for a two-run home run, his sixth of the season.

“I was expecting a pitch inside and was able to put a good swing on it,” Chikamoto said. “We were facing a good pitcher, so we knew that if we couldn’t get a lead we were done.” Tigers s...