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The Yomiuri Shimbun Carp pitcher Daichi Osera, center, celebrates after completing a no-hitter against the Chiba Lotte Marines on Friday night at Hiroshima’s Mazda Stadium.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
17:15 JST, June 8, 2024
HIROSHIMA — Veteran right-hander Daichi Osera tossed the first no-hitter for the Hiroshima Carp in 12 years and the first at Mazda Stadium when he blanked the Chiba Lotte Marines 4-0 on Friday night.
Osera (3-0) struck out two and walked five in a 129-pitch masterpiece that made him the 90th pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball history to throw a regular-season no-hitter.
It was the 102nd overall, and came two weeks after the Yomiuri Giants’ Shosei Togo no-hit the Hanshin Tigers.
Osera gave credit for getting through a nerve-wracking ninth inning to the full crowd of 31,378 mainly red-clad fans who witnessed the first no-hitter in the history of the Carp’s home ballpark, which opened in 2009.
“I was drinking in the cheers, and I thought, ‘I’ve come this far,’ and I spent all the energy left in me,” said Osera, who turns 33 on June 17.
The last time a Carp pitcher tossed a no-hitter was in April 2012, when current major leaguer Kenta Maeda accomplished the feat against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
For Osera, who had a Central League-leading 15 wins and .682 winning percentage in 2018, this is a season of “revival” as he comes off a poor 6-11 record in 2023 and right elbow surgery in the offseason. “I want to earn trust by what I accomplish,” he said at the time he signed his contract.
His 11th season began with Osera losing the role of starter for the opening game, a role he had held for the previous five straight years. That, however, served as the motivation leading up to his night of fame.
