The Hawks went hitless in Tokorozawa last Friday night but you won't see that game added to the roster of NPB no-hitters for two reasons. The first is that Softbank was held hitless by two pitchers and combined no-hitters are not considered "official" by NPB. The second is that the Hawks scored a run and games in which the team being no-hit still manages to score a run are also not considered "official" no-hitters.
The two Lions pitchers in question were Tatsuya Imae and Kaima Taira. Imae started the game and went eight innings, striking out nine and walking one. Taira came in and finished the game in the ninth, striking out one of the three batters he faced.
If you've been watching the Lions the past few seasons, you'll be forgiven for wondering if they actually won the game. They did, although that one run the Hawks got off Imae (on a leadoff walk to Naoki Satoh in the seventh followed by a stolen base and two groundouts) tied the game up. The Lions scored another run in the bottom of the seventh to put Seibu up for good and they held on for the 2-1 victory.
This was only the fifth time in NPB (and JBL) history that a no-hit team scored a run and the first time in over 60 years. The Hawks - then of Osaka and owned by Nankai - held hitless by Noboru Makino and Shigemasa Yamamoto of the Kintetsu Buffaloes on May 13, 1964.
Here are Calbee cards of both Imae and Taira:
 |
| 2020 Calbee Series Two #075 (Imae) |
 |
| 2021 Calbee Series Three #IL-03 (Taira) |
No comments:
Post a Comment