Haruhiro Hamaguchi recorded the win at Tokyo Dome on Saturday, but the lefty was eager to give all the credit to the rest of the DeNA BayStars.

Hamaguchi took a shutout into the eighth inning before reliever Hiromu Ise carried the club across the finish line in a 2-0 win over the Yomiuri Giants at the Big Egg.

Hamaguchi threw 7? innings, finishing with four strikeouts, allowing five hits and walking four batters. He was lifted after allowing a pair of two-out hits in the eighth.

Ise finished the inning and then converted the first save of his career in the ninth.

Hamaguchi also got plenty of help from the BayStars fielders, with second baseman Shugo Maki and third baseman Toshiro Miyazaki making highlight-worthy plays amid an all-around solid defensive effort.

¡°We¡¯ve had two really tight games in a row, but the fielders played well and supported me,¡± Hamaguchi said. ¡°Ise also did his best to get the win. Ise was really the winner today.¡±

Hamaguchi notched his first victory since May 26 and ended a run of five starts without a win. He improved to 3-3 and lowered his ERA to 2.77.

¡°It¡¯s not something I could do myself,¡± he said. ¡°More than anything, even if I can¡¯t win, I¡¯m happiest when the team wins.¡±

It has been an encouraging couple of weeks for Hamaguchi, who has not exactly had a smooth ride this season.

He was in the BayStars¡¯ opening day rotation and earned the win in his first start, on March 31 against the Chunichi Dragons.

He was taken off the roster after testing positive for COVID-19 in early April and, after recovering, remained on the farm team to make adjustments. He returned to the top team in May with a win over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in interleague play.

Hamaguchi dropped his next three decisions before beating the Giants. His win over the second-place Giants comes one week after he threw 7 2/3 one-run frames against the first-place Tokyo Yakult Swallows.

BayStars fans are likely hoping those two games will help springboard Hamaguchi, and the rest of the team, into a strong second half.

On Saturday, Hamaguchi held the Giants hitless until the fourth inning and did not allow an extra-base hit.

In addition to the help Hamaguchi received in the field, Neftali Soto gave him an early lead with a solo homer in the fourth, and Keita Sano padded the advantage with an RBI double in the eighth.

The BayStars finished with 12 hits overall, led by Sano¡¯s 3-for-4 day at the plate.

¡°This was a win everyone had a hand in,¡± Hamaguchi said. ¡°I¡¯m just going to do my best to have more games like this.¡±