Baseball: Murakami without homer as Swallows take big step towards title

Japan’s most anticipated home run in years has yet to leave Munetaka Murakami’s bat, but his Yakult Swallows closed in on their second consecutive Central League pennant with a 6-2 victory over the Chunichi Dragons on Wednesday. . The Swallows’ win at the Vantelin Dome in Nagoya and second-placed DeNA BayStars 2-1 loss to third-placed Yomiuri Giants extended Yakult’s lead to seven games. The Swallows’ magic number to clinch the pennant has dropped to four. Murakami, without a homer for five games since reaching his 55th game on Sept. 13, is tied at four for the second most in a season, with Japan…