Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitching in the denouement of what most expect to be his final season in NPB, added another highlight to his jaw-dropping five-year run of excellence on Saturday night.
The Orix Buffaloes ace held down the Chiba Lotte Marines for nine innings in a no-hitter — the second of his career — wrapped in all sorts of historical tidbits. Yamamoto’s most recent no-hitter was the 100th in NPB regular-season history. Yamamoto also no-hit the Seibu Lions in 2022 and became the 10th pitcher in Japanese pro baseball history with multiple no-hitters and the third — the first in the NPB era — to throw no-hitters in consecutive seasons. Tadashi Kameda was the last with no-nos in 1940 and 1941. Yamamoto is the only active Japanese pitcher with more than one.
Yamamoto threw his gem on Saturday at Zozo Marine Stadium, where Roki Sasaki, who was scheduled to start for the Marines on Sunday, threw a perfect game against the Buffaloes last April. Sasaki is next in line as Japan’s No. 1 pitcher, but Yamamoto wears the crown right now.