Hiroshima Rally Delays Hanshin’s Central League Clinch
Hiroshima scored twice in the eighth to beat Hanshin 6-4, preventing the Tigers from clinching the Central League pennant on their own.
World Baseball News Editorial Team , 1 min read 
The Hiroshima Toyo Carp scored twice in the eighth inning to beat the Hanshin Tigers 6-4 at Mazda Stadium on Saturday, October 3, denying Hanshin the win or tie it needed to clinch a second straight Central League pennant on its own.
Shosei Nakamura broke a 4-4 tie with a one-out RBI single off Rafael Dolis. After rookie Naru Katsuta drew a walk, Shogo Sakakura added an insurance run with a two-out single against Yu Ishii.
The result kept Hanshin’s magic number at one and shifted the immediate focus to Saturday night’s Yomiuri Giants game against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. A Giants loss would still hand Hanshin the title without another Tigers victory.
Carp answer Hanshin’s four-run third
Hiroshima opened the scoring in the second inning when Shosei Nakamura doubled home pitcher Masato Morishita. Hanshin then appeared to take control with four runs in the third.
Seishiro Sakamoto led off that inning with his 10th home run of the season, giving him double-digit homers for the first time. Teruaki Sato followed later in the inning with a three-run shot to right-center, his 39th homer, putting Hanshin ahead 4-1.
The lead lasted only minutes. Shota Suekane answered in the bottom half with a two-out, three-run homer off Hiroto Saiki, immediately pulling the Carp level at 4-4.
Hiroshima bullpen shuts down the Tigers
Hanshin did not score again after the third inning. Hiroshima’s bullpen combined for four scoreless frames after Morishita departed, with Freddy Tarnok, Atsushi Endo and Daichi Osera bridging the game to closer Daichi Moriura.
Osera earned the win after a perfect eighth inning, while Moriura worked around a ninth-inning single and walk to record his 26th save. Dolis took the loss after allowing the go-ahead run.
Hiroshima finished with 11 hits to Hanshin’s six and closed its home schedule by preventing a third consecutive opponent from celebrating a league title directly in front of the Carp.
Hanshin visits Yokohama DeNA on Sunday with another chance to secure the pennant if the title has not already been decided by Yomiuri’s result.
