Leadoff man Tetsuto Yamada batted in two and scored two for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in a 6-4 win over the Yomiuri Giants on Sunday.

Yamada turned the game around in the fifth inning, slamming a two-run home run off Tomoyuki Sugano (6-6) for a 5-4 lead, and Tsuyoshi Ueda knocked out the Giants’ starter with an RBI single in the seventh.

“It was a difficult ball but I reacted well. I was a bit surprised too,” said Yamada of his 14th homer.

The game was special for the Swallows, who welcomed back right-handed side-armer Shohei Tateyama, who was looking for his first win in three years.

“We had a huddle before the game for Tateyama-san and pledged to win,” said Yamada, who went 3-for-3 with a walk.

Tateyama was back with the first team after an 813-day absence. He was able to pitch out of trouble for four innings before surrendering a game-tying three-run homer to Yoshinobu Takahashi with a high 3-2 fastball in the top of the fifth.

The 34-year-old Tateyama has undergone three Tommy John surgeries so far in his career but won 63 games from 2008-2012. He was taken out after surrendering a double following Takahashi’s homer. Reliever Ryo Akiyoshi (5-0) gave up a sac fly to former Swallow Ryoji Aikawa that gave the Giants a brief 4-3 lead.

The Swallows opened the scoring in the first after Yamada doubled and scored a run on a double-play. They added two more with a base-loaded walk and a groundout in the fourth.

Carp 4, Dragons 0

At Mazda Stadium, Kris Johnson (7-3) threw eight innings, Takahiro Arai belted a two-run, third-inning home run, and Nate Schierholtz and Brad Eldred each singled in a run in the fifth as Hiroshima beat Chunichi.

Tigers 6, BayStars 2

At Koshien Stadium, Hiroki Uemoto’s RBI single broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth and Hanshin starter Shintaro Fujinami (6-4) followed suit in the next inning. The right-hander pitched seven innings allowing two runs on six hits to Yokohama. The Tigers’ Kosuke Fukudome and Mauro Gomez each homered for the second straight day.

Fighters 2, Lions 0

At Seibu Prince Dome, Luis Mendoza (4-4) went seven innings and two relievers completed a four-hit shutout, and youngster Shingo Ishikawa homered for the second straight day to break up a scoreless pitching duel as Hokkaido Nippon Ham beat Seibu southpaw Yusei Kikuchi (4-3).

Marines 2, Buffaloes 1

At QVC Marine Field, Orix ace Chihiro Kaneko (2-3) surrendered the lead for good in the seventh innings on three singles and a bases-loaded walk in a loss to Chiba Lotte. Marines starter Shota Omine allowed a run in 6⅓ innings and Rhee Dae-eun (7-2) and two other relievers closed the door on the last place Buffaloes.

Hawks 7, Eagles 3

At Kobo Stadium Miyagi, Nobuhiro Matsuda singled in two runs in the first, two more in the third and Yuki Yanagita reached base five times in support of lefty side-armer Kazuyuki Hoashi, who won his belated season debut as Fukuoka Softbank beat Tohoku Rakuten.