Tokyo Yakult Swallows right-hander Yasuhiro Ogawa threw the first no-hitter of the season on Saturday and the first of his career in a 9-0 Central League win over the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Ogawa's gem was the 93rd no-hitter in the history of Japanese pro baseball, and the 30-year-old became the 82nd player to accomplish the feat. Unlike in the major leagues, a no-hitter is not awarded by NPB unless the pitcher also throws a shutout.
"Last time I had a very frustrating outing, so I was keen to make up for that," said Ogawa (5-2) who surrendered four runs in five innings in a loss to the BayStars one week earlier. "My catcher (Akihisa) Nishida called a confident game. My fastball was strong and the fielders caught the balls behind me, so I was able to make a go of it."