Koki Kitayama of the Nippon Ham Fighters pitches against the Seibu Lions on Aug. 6, 2025, at Es Con Field Hokkaido. (Kyodo)
KITAHIROSHIMA, Japan (Kyodo) — Koki Kitayama pitched eight dominant innings as the Nippon Ham Fighters blanked the Seibu Lions 4-0 for their fourth straight win Wednesday.
Kitayama (7-3) held the Lions to only two hits, both singles, while walking one, hitting a batter and striking out five at Es Con Field Hokkaido, just outside Sapporo. Nippon Ham became the first Pacific League team to reach 60 wins this season.
Kotaro Kiyomiya hit a solo home run in the sixth off Kona Takahashi (4-6), who allowed two runs in seven innings.
Kazunari Ishii went 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored for the team managed by former New York Mets and San Francisco Giants outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo.
AloJapan.com