RECAP NPB GAME: BUFFALOES – MARINES
Buffaloes 5, Marines 1
At QVC Marine Field, Italian international Alessandro Maestri (1-0) allowed a run in 6⅓ innings to earn the win for Orix in his Pacific League debut. The Buffaloes tied it 1-1 in the third on doubles by rookies Takuya Shimada and Takayoshi Kawabata, and took the lead when Takahiro Okada singled home Kawabata.
Maestri, who pitched for Italy in the first two World Baseball Classics and played in the Chicago Cubs organization, allowed four hits and a walk while hitting one batter and striking out five.