Hamming it up …

It’s up to interpretation

Hichori Morimoto has been injured, ineffective and infrequently on the postgame on-field interview podium since the Nippon Ham Fighters won the championship in 2006.
But Morimoto was in top form on Tuesday night Sapporo Dome after helping the Fighters top Yomiuri 7-1 in interleague action. Morimoto grabbed the mic during the on-field postgame interview and pretended to interpret right-hander Bobby Keppel’s comments to the fans.
Keppel (6-1) was dialed in for seven innings, limiting the Giants to a run on three hits and two walks, but Morimoto was way off target.
When asked about the importance of catcher Shinya Tsuruoka, Keppel said it was great to work with the backstop.
Morimoto’s interpretation: “He’s just some guy [behind the plate].”
The win was certainly important. It gave the Fighters their longest winning streak of the season at four games.
Morimoto had a two-run triple in the sixth to put the game out of reach for the Fighters, who had put up four in the third to get the lead from the Central League’s top team.

LIONS 1, SWALLOWS 0
Things are getting worse for the CL’s last-place Swallows. Takayuki Kishi(7-1) held Yakult to three hits over eight innings, and Dee Brown delivered an RBI single in the sixth inning as Seibu blanked the Swallows at Omiya.
Kishi, who didn’t allow a runner past second, has won seven straight after losing in his season debut, and Brian Sikorski fanned two in the ninth to convert his 15th save with the Lions.
The Swallows lost their fifth straight.

BAYSTARS 7, EAGLES 5
Seiichi Uchikawa’s two-run single ignited a five-run sixth inning brought Yokohama back from five runs down, and Shuichi Murata’s RBI single in the seventh was the difference in a comeback win over Rakuten at the Kleenex box.
The victory snapped Yokohama’s six-game skid.

TIGERS 4, HAWKS 2 (10 innings)
Takahiro Arai hit a scoring flyball to break a 2-2 tie in the top of the 10th and Tomoaki Kanemoto, in his first career appearance as DH, added an RBI single as Hanshin rallied late win at Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.

BUFFALOES 11, CARP 2
Seibu castoff Shogo Akada became the 40th player to homer from both sides of the plate as Orix hammered Hiroshima at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
He was the 13th PL player to homer from both sides, going the opposite way in the fourth inning with a two-run shot, and pulling a two-run blast in the seventh.

MARINES 4, DRAGONS 2
Tsuyoshi Nishioka had three hits, including a pair of RBI doubles, and Lotte rode a three-run third inning to defeat Chunichi to snap its seven-game interleague winning streak that dates back to last season.