Much has been reported and written about the year of the no-hitter in Major League Baseball this season, with no less than five thrown in the American and National Leagues in 2010.
Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Matt Garza tossed the fifth one on July 26, and there should have been six, but umpire Jim Joyce's missed call cost Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers not only a no-hitter, but also a perfect game, on June 2.
So far, at least through games of Thursday, no pitcher has tossed a no-hitter in Japanese baseball this year, and the last regular season no-hitter was thrown almost four years ago on Sept. 16, 2006, by veteran lefty Masahiro Yamamoto of the Chunichi Dragons over the Hanshin Tigers at Nagoya Dome.