Teruaki Sato singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the Hanshin Tigers beat the DeNA BayStars 2-1 on Saturday.
With runners on the corners and two outs, Sato lined the first pitch he saw from reliever Yofrec Diaz into right field at Koshien Stadium.
Masashi Ito (4-4) threw seven innings of one-run ball for the win. Yuito Mori (1-2) took the loss.
Suguru Iwazaki got in and out of a two-on jam in the ninth for his 12th save. Tyler Austin hit his ninth home run for the BayStars in the fourth.
Among Saturday's other games, the Chunichi Dragons edged the Central League-leading Hiroshima Carp 2-1. The Rakuten Eagles shut out the Pacific League-leading SoftBank Hawks 4-0.
