Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 25, the top active ace in Nippon Professional Baseball, threw his second career no-hitter. It was his second consecutive no-hitter, the third in Japanese history.
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who happened to be in attendance to watch Yamamoto pitch, had nothing but praise for the no-hitter. Yamamoto is preparing to move up to the major leagues in the posting system after this season. Scouts from seven major league clubs, including the Yankees, were on hand to watch.
On Sept. 9, Yamamoto started a game against the Chiba Lotte Marines at Jojo Marine Stadium in Japan, throwing 102 pitches over nine innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out eight and no runs. The Oryx won 4-0.
Yamamoto continued his perfect game, throwing 47 pitches through the fifth inning, with his fastball and forkball topping out at 156 mph on the day.
The perfect game was broken up in the sixth inning when he gave up a leadoff single, but he didn’t allow a hit the rest of the way. In the eighth, KKK retired the next three batters in a row. Two batters later in the ninth, he allowed his second run of the day on a hit-by-pitch. He completed the feat with a grounder to second base.
Yamamoto threw a no-hitter against the Seibu Lions on June 18 last year. He became the first player in 82 years to throw back-to-back no-hitters since Eiji Sawamura in 1936-1937 and Tadashi Kameda in 1940-1941. A first in the major league system.
“I think everyone who watched today was excited,” Cashman told Japanese media after the game. It was a great game, a historic play,” he said, adding, “I’m going to keep my ticket for today. When I meet him later, I might be able to get his autograph,” he said, meaningfully.
Cashman, who also witnessed Yamamoto’s performance in his first game, said, “It’s great for the team and great for the fans. I’m happy to see it. I’m coming to see Yamamoto, and I picked a good game,” and left the ballpark smiling.온라인바카
In 20 games (143 innings) this season, Yamamoto is 14-5 with a 1.26 ERA and 145 strikeouts. He leads the league in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage.
In 2021 and 2022, he led the league in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage, winning the league MVP and Sawamura Award for the second consecutive year. This year, he could win a third straight award.