On April 10, 2022,

Rōki Sasaki , nicknamed is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He made his NPB debut in 2021. Sasaki set a new Japanese high school baseball record with a fastball recorded at . T ...

of the

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

's (NPB)

Pacific League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently consis ...

threw a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...

against the

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

Zozo Marine Stadium (official name: ) is a stadium in Chiba City, Chiba, Japan. It opened in 1990 and holds approximately 30,000 people. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Chiba Lotte Marines. It is also used for Rugby union. The stad ...

Chiba City is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It sits about east of the centre of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. The city became a government-designated city in 1992. In June 2019, its population was 979,768, with a population density of 3,605 people p ...

. It was the 16th perfect game in NPB history. Sasaki tied a NPB single-game record with 19

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s and set an NPB record with 13 consecutive strikeouts.

Background

set a Japanese high school record when he threw a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

at , breaking the record set by

Shohei Ohtani , nicknamed "Shotime", is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional B ...

, who had achieved . The

(NPB) selected Sasaki with the first overall pick in the 2019 NPB draft. Lotte had him train in bullpen sessions exclusively during the 2020 season to prevent injury. He made his NPB debut in 2021.

Game synopsis

The Marines played a home game against the

on April 10, 2022. Sasaki started for Lotte while

Hiroya Miyagi is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes. Professional career In 2021, after posting a 13-4 record and 131 strikeouts in 147.2 innings pitched, Miyagi won the NPB Pacific League Rookie of the year awa ...

, the Pacific League Rookie of the Year for 2021, started for Orix. The first two batters Sasaki faced grounded out. He completed the top of the first inning by recording a

Masataka Yoshida Masataka Yoshida (吉田正尚 ''Yoshida Masataka'', born July 15, 1993) is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He started his professional career with Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Profe ...

, who led the

batting Batting may refer to: *Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs *Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ru ...

during the 2021 season. Lotte scored a

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

off of Miyagi in the bottom of the first inning with two

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

followed by a

run batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBI) groundout. Sasaki then continued to strike out batters, striking out all three batters faced in the second, third, and fourth innings, setting a new NPB record with his tenth consecutive strikeout, also of Yoshida, in the fourth inning. The previous record had been set by

Takao Kajimoto was a left-handed Japanese baseball pitcher for the Hankyu Braves from 1954 to 1973. He won 254 games and was a 12-time All-Star during his career. He is a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Meikyukai. Career Kajimoto was signed b ...

of the

Hankyu Braves The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefectur ...

in 1957 and tied by

Masayuki Dobashi Masayuki Dobashi (土橋正幸, 5 December 1935 – 24 August 2013) was a baseball player and manager in Japan. As a pitcher he won over 162 games. He played in the Pacific League for the Toei Flyers. He died from ALS Amyotrophic later ...

of the

Toei Flyers The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

in 1958. Sasaki struck out the side in the top of the fifth inning, reaching 13 consecutive strikeouts. This also became a new world record, surpassing the 10 consecutive strikeouts achieved in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) by

Corbin Burnes Corbin Brian Burnes (born October 22, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Brewers in the fourth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, and mad ...

Tom Seaver George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Cinc ...

, and Aaron Nola. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Lotte scored five runs when Shogo Nakamura was

hit by a pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

, followed by an RBI

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

Brandon Laird Brandon J. Laird (born September 11, 1987), nicknamed "Sushi Boy", is an American of Mexican descent who was a professional baseball third baseman for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played for the New York ...

, an RBI single by

Adeiny Hechavarria Adeiny Hechavarría Barrera (born April 15, 1989) is a Cubans, Cuban professional baseball shortstop for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Miam ...

, and a three RBI double by Kō Matsukawa, Lotte's 18-year-old

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

. Sasaki finished the game with a strikeout of

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

Yutaro Sugimoto is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays outfielder for the Orix Buffaloes. Sugimoto won the Japan Series Most Valuable Player Award for the 2022 Japan Series The 2022 Japan Series (known as the '' SMBC Nippon Series 2022'' for ...

, who led the Pacific League in

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in 2021. Sugimoto's strikeout was the final out of the game and Sasaki's 19th strikeout, tying the NPB record set by Koji Noda of the

Orix BlueWave , styled as ORIX, is a Japanese diversified financial services group headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. ORIX offers leasing, lending, rentals, life insurance, real estate financing and development, venture capital, investment an ...

in 1995. Sasaki completed the game with 105 pitches thrown. It was the first perfect game in NPB since November 1, 2007 (Game 6 of the

2007 Japan Series The Japan Series, the 58th edition of Nippon Professional Baseball's championship series, began Saturday, October 27, 2007, pitting the Pacific League Regular League and Climax Series' Champion, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, and the Chunichi ...

, a combined perfect game not recognised by NPB but is recognised globally as a no-hitter), as well as the 97th

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

in NPB and its predecessors , the first since August 15, 2020. Yoshida struck out three times against Sasaki, despite striking out just 26 times during the 2021 season, the lowest for all hitters. At the age of 20 years and five months, Sasaki became the youngest NPB pitcher to throw a perfect game. He threw his fastball at , matching his personal best. Sasaki compiled a

game score Game score is a metric devised by Bill James as a rough overall gauge of a starting pitcher's performance in a baseball game. It is designed such that scores tend to range from 0–100, with an average performance being around 50 points. F ...

of 106, surpassing the 105 for

Kerry Wood Kerry Lee Wood (born June 16, 1977) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. Wood first came to prominence as a 20-year-old rooki ...

's 20 strikeout game from the

1998 Major League Baseball season The 1998 Major League Baseball season ended with the New York Yankees sweeping the San Diego Padres in the World Series, after they had won a then AL record 114 regular season games. The Yankees finished with 125 wins for the season (regular se ...

, which was the highest MLB game score since the end of the

baseball color line The color line, also known as the color barrier, in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Major League Baseball and its affiliated Minor Leagues until 1947 (with a few notable exceptions in the 19th century before the li ...

. As a result of this game, the Marines improved to 7-6 and the Buffaloes fell to 6-9 on the season.

Line score

Box score

Aftermath

In his next start, on April 17, Sasaki pitched eight perfect innings against the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

, before manager

Tadahito Iguchi , nicknamed "Gucci", is a Japanese served professional baseball second baseman and from manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). As a member of the Chicago White Sox in 2005, Iguchi became the first Japanese-bor ...

took him out of the game before the ninth inning. He recorded 14 strikeouts on 102 pitches, including striking out the side in the eighth inning with a 101-mph fastball. Sasaki finished the game having retired 52 consecutive batters, setting an NPB record. The MLB record for retiring consecutive batters is 46 by

Yusmeiro Petit Yusmeiro Alberto Petit (; born November 22, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Washi ...

. Sasaki's streak ended in his next game, on April 24, after he allowed a hit on the first pitch that he threw. A ball from the game autographed by Sasaki was donated to the

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

. The Orix Buffaloes would go on to win their first

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

since (as the Orix BlueWave), while Sasaki's Marines would miss the playoffs for the first time since . After Sasaki's perfect game, 4 no-hitters would follow suit, setting the record for the most no-hitters in the history of NPB, and tying the record for most no-hitters in Japanese professional baseball history, beginning with a Maddux no-hitter by

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

pitcher Nao Higashihama against the

Saitama Seibu Lions The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway, wh ...

, Shōta Imanaga against the

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Professional career Yamamoto made his NPB debut on August 20, 2017 for the Orix Buffaloes. Yamamoto finished the 2021 season with an ...

against the Lions, and

Cody Ponce Cody Joe Ponce (born April 25, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college b ...

against the Hawks.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sasaki, Roki perfect game 2022 Nippon Professional Baseball season Nippon Professional Baseball perfect games Chiba Lotte Marines April 2022 sports events in Asia Orix Buffaloes Sport in Chiba (city) Sports competitions in Chiba Prefecture History of Chiba Prefecture