The Orix Buffaloes need an ace. ?

Luckily, Anderson Espinoza has been pitching like one.

He did it against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Friday night. The game got off to a rocky start, as Espinoza gave up a run in the first inning and needed 40 pitches to complete the first two frames. It took him just 58 pitches to get through the next five innings as he led the first-place Buffaloes to a 3-2 win.