Sports

Kenta Maeda holds MLB All-Stars to help Japan win 2-0 in 1st game of tour

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Japan's Shohei Otani of Nippon Ham Fighters delivers a pitch against Major League All-Stars at Game 1 of their exhibition baseball games in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014. Japan won the game 2-0. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

Major League All-Stars' Matt Shoemaker of Los Angeles Angels delivers a pitch against Japan at Game 1 of their exhibition baseball games in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014. Japan won the game 2-0. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

Kenta Maeda pitched five scoreless innings as Japan defeated the Major League Baseball All-Stars 2-0 on Wednesday in the first game of five on tour.

Maeda, who has expressed an interest in pitching in the major leagues, gave up two hits while striking out two and walking two before a crowd of 33,000 at Kyocera Dome.

The only hits conceded by Maeda were a single to Robinson Cano in the first inning and a double by Dexter Fowler in the fifth.

Japan took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Seiichi Uchikawa scored from third on a sacrifice fly by Nobuhiro Matsuda.

Tetsuto Yamada drove in another run in the fourth with a line drive single to left, allowing Matsuda to score from second.

The five-game series includes games at Tokyo Dome, Sapporo Dome and Cellular Stadium in Okinawa.