The Yomiuri Giants hadn¡¯t played a game that really counted for anything since clinching the Central League pennant on Sept. 21. They hadn¡¯t played any official games at all since Sept. 28.
When they finally did get back on the diamond, it didn¡¯t take long for the Kyojin to get back into the swing of things.
Yoshihiro Maru and Kazuma Okamoto hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning and Shun Yamaguchi pitched into the eighth as the Giants beat the Hanshin Tigers 5-2 in Game 1 of the Central League Climax Series Final Stage in front of a crowd of 45,177 on Wednesday night at Tokyo Dome.
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