Card Of The Week September 7

Each of the three games between the Dodgers and Orioles in Baltimore this weekend featured a Japanese starting pitcher.  On Friday, Shohei Ohtani started for the Dodgers and threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings.  He was not involved in the decision for a game that the Orioles ended up winning on a 2-1 walk off. 

On Saturday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto came close to making history.  He kept the Orioles hitless for 8 2/3 innings before Jackson Holliday hit a solo home run off of him.  Had he completed the no-hitter, he would have become the first pitcher to throw no-hitters in both NPB and MLB.  He also did not get a decision in the game - he was lifted after giving up the home run and the Dodgers bullpen proceeded to blow the game with the Orioles scoring four in the inning to walk the game off for the second straight night.

I attended this afternoon's game and was excited that Tomoyuki Sugano was starting for the Orioles.  I pointed out to my wife and some friends at the game that Sugano had thrown a no-hitter in Japan so maybe he could be the first to throw one in both leagues.  Well, he may do that someday but it didn't happen today - Ohtani hit his second pitch of the game into the center field stands.  It was not a good outing for Sugano, giving up four runs in three plus innings including three solo home runs (two by Ohtani and one by Mookie Betts) before being forced from the game after being hit in the leg by a line drive from Kim Hyeseong.  He was the only one of the three to get a decision, taking the loss as the O's fell to the Dodgers 5-2.

All three pitchers have suited up for Samurai Japan over the years.  Ohtani was part of the 2015 Premier 12 and 2023 World Baseball Classic teams; Yamamoto was on the squads for the 2019 Premier 12, 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 WBC and Sugano played on the 2015 Premier 12 and 2017 WBC teams.  I thought I'd share National Team cards of all three:

2016 Calbee Samurai Japan #SJ-07

2023 BBM Infinity #23

2017 Calbee Samurai Japan #SJ-02