Eight scoreless innings a day after a no-hitter.
Orix Buffaloes left-hander Hiroya Miyagi (22) earned his 10th win of the season. He pitched eight innings of one-hit ball against the Chiba Lotte Marines at Chiba Marine Stadium on Tuesday. He threw 115 pitches, faced 28 batters, allowed three walks, and struck out six.
After giving up the first hit of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, he retired the rest of the way to preserve the 2-0 victory. It was the second straight shutout for the Oryx, who won 4-0 the day before.
The no-hitter was the third consecutive 10-win season. Called up seniors Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) and Shintaro Fujinami (Baltimore Orioles). Miyagi is the first pitcher since Ohtani and Fujinami from 2014-2016 to win double-digit games in three consecutive years as a sophomore.
A first-round draft pick, Miyagi appeared in three games and earned one win in his rookie season in 2020. He became a full-time starter in his second year, winning 13 games (4 losses) in 2021, 11 games (8 losses) in 2022, and 10 games (4 losses) in 2023.
Miyagi was the 2021 Pacific League Rookie of the Year.
Senior Yoshinobu Yamamoto (25), who threw a no-hitter against Chiba Lotte the day before (September 9), said in a Hero interview, “I think we’ll see a no-hitter tomorrow when Miyagi starts.” He said that he thought of a one-hit shutout when he saw it on the live broadcast from his hostel.
Miyagi has three complete games this season.
In the first through fourth innings, he struck out 12 on 55 pitches. With one out in the fifth, he walked Hisanori Yasuda, the No. 7 hitter. On a 2B2S pitch, the left-handed hitter hit two low, outside sliders that were just outside the strike zone.
A sacrifice bunt loaded the bases. Hiromi Oka singled to left in the ninth. The first pitch, a forked ball down the middle, was hit for a single. Oka was then thrown out at second base to end the inning.
After retiring the side in order in the sixth, he gave up his third walk with two outs in the seventh. He retired Yasuda on a grounder to shortstop in the seventh. In the eighth, he struck out three batters on 13 pitches. 메이저사이트
Major League Baseball officials, including New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, watched the game from the stands at Marine Stadium. Chiba Lotte’s “Monster” Roki Sasaki, 22, made his first start since injuring his right side. He gave up one run on two hits and one walk with two strikeouts in three innings and took the loss.
Miyagi and Sasaki, who are classmates, played together for Japan at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. Sasaki had won the previous three meetings. Miyagi picked up his first win against Sasaki after losing two of their previous meetings.
The Oryx, last year’s Japan Series champions, are on track to win their third straight Pacific League title. They are in first place with 21 games remaining, 10 games ahead of second-place Chiba Lotte.
The powerful “one-two punch” of Yamamoto and Miyagi continues to pitch phenomenally.
Ace Yamamoto threw his second no-hitter in nine days. He became the first player in 82 years to accomplish the feat in back-to-back seasons, after tossing his first no-hitter against the Seibu Lions in June of last year. Yamamoto has a six-game, 42-inning scoreless streak. He is first in wins (14), ERA (1.26), strikeouts (145) and winning percentage (.737).
Miyagi has a streak of 29 consecutive scoreless innings over four games, dating back to August 17 against the SoftBank Hawks. He is second in wins (10) and winning percentage (.714) behind Yamamoto and third in ERA (2.21). The Orix lead the league with a team ERA of 2.66.