Chunichi Dragons pitcher Kenshin Kawakami couldn't have come up with a better time to earn a spot in Japanese baseball history.
Kawakami, 27, tossed a no-hitter Thursday as the Dragons blanked the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants 6-0 at the Tokyo Dome.
"I first thought about setting the pace for the bullpen, but I started thinking 'maybe' in the seventh inning," said Kawakami, a right-hander in his fifth professional season.