Hanshin Tigers Stay Atop Central League as Hiroto Saiki Shuts Down BayStars
Hiroto Saiki threw seven scoreless innings and Shota Morishita hit his 35th homer as Hanshin beat DeNA 8-1 and reduced its Central League magic number to 11.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 2 min read 
The Hanshin Tigers kept control of the Central League race on Sunday night, beating the Yokohama DeNA BayStars 8-1 at Koshien Stadium behind seven scoreless innings from Hiroto Saiki. The victory moved Hanshin to 72-58-1 and preserved its narrow lead over the Yomiuri Giants on winning percentage with the clubs separated by zero games in the standings.
It was a significant response after Yomiuri had already rallied past the Yakult Swallows 3-2 earlier in the day. A Hanshin loss would have dropped the Tigers out of first place and erased their pennant magic number. Instead, Hanshin reduced that number to 11 and guaranteed a winning regular-season record.
Saiki delivers with first place under pressure
Saiki gave the Tigers exactly what they needed. The right-hander worked seven scoreless innings, allowing six hits while extending his scoreless streak to 22 innings. He earned his ninth win of the season and reached the innings threshold required to qualify for the league pitching title for a third consecutive year.
Hanshin broke the game open in the third. With two outs and the bases loaded, a wild pitch from DeNA starter Yu Takeda brought home the first run before Hiyu Motoyama followed with a two-run single for a 3-0 lead.
Ukyo Maegawa added a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and the Tigers created more separation in the seventh on RBI hits from pinch-hitter Seiya Kinami and Koji Chikamoto.
Shota Morishita joins the Central League home run lead
DeNA finally scored in the eighth when Shugo Maki hit his 29th home run, but Hanshin answered immediately. Shota Morishita drove his 35th homer of the season to the right of the center-field scoreboard, a 120-meter shot measured at 161 km/h off the bat.
The homer moved Morishita level with teammate Teruaki Sato for the Central League lead. According to NPB’s updated season totals, Morishita is batting .295 with 35 home runs through 131 games, turning the final weeks into an unusual in-house race for the league’s home run crown while both hitters remain central to Hanshin’s pennant push.
Central League race remains on a knife edge
The standings leave virtually no margin for error. Yomiuri’s win over Yakult temporarily put the Giants ahead on winning percentage before Hanshin took the field. The Tigers’ response restored their position at the top, even with the Giants in games behind.
Hanshin and DeNA meet again at Koshien on Monday, September 21. With the magic number at 11 and the Giants still level in the games-behind column, every result now has the potential to change the shape of the Central League race.
