The SoftBank Hawks’ Yuki Yanagita hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of a Pacific League game against the Nippon Ham Fighters at Es Con Field Hokkaido on April 1, 2025. (Kyodo)
KITAHIROSHIMA, Hokkaido (Kyodo) — Yuki Yanagita drove in two runs including a solo home run as last season’s Pacific League champion SoftBank Hawks won their first game of the season Tuesday, beating the Nippon Ham Fighters 5-1 to hand them their first defeat.
Cuban lefty Livan Moinelo (1-0) helped the Hawks end their season-opening three-game skid by throwing seven innings of one-run ball to earn the win at Es Con Field Hokkaido, striking out six while allowing two hits, a walk and a hit batsman.
Yanagita singled in a run in the first inning before Shuto Ukyo’s double and Akira Nakamura’s single added a run each in the top of the second for the Hawks. The Fighters scored their only run in the home half on Yuki Nomura’s solo shot to left.
Yanagita crushed a 2-0 fastball from Nippon Ham starter Hiromi Ito (0-1) over the center-field wall in the fifth when Kenta Imamiya also went deep for a solo homer. Ito allowed five runs, all earned, on nine hits and a walk over five innings.
“We lost the opening three games, so I wanted to do anything to get the first win,” Yanagita said. “(Moinelo) was just wonderful, I’m sure he was pitching thinking about the team too. I’ll send him a word of gratitude later.”
In the Central League, the Chunichi Dragons ended the Yomiuri Giants’ perfect start to the year with a 3-2 win. Last year’s Japan Series champion DeNA BayStars beat the Hanshin Tigers 7-1.
AloJapan.com