The outstanding performance with the bat allowed him to raise his average to 323, in a game where another Cuban, Alfredo Despaigne, failed three times at bat, one of them by way of a strikeout, while another Cuban, Livan Moinelo, got the save.

Ariel Martinez, also from Cuba, homered in his four at-bats in his team’s 1-5 loss to the Yomiuri Giants, where he had the opportunity to score the only run for the Chunichi Dragons.

rly/omr/jcm/arp