Fighters’ Haruki Hosono Throws 1st No-Hitter of Japan Pro Baseball Season

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:35 JST, April 1, 2026

Only four games into the 2026 season, Japan pro baseball already has its first no-hitter.

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters southpaw Haruki Hosono made the first complete game in his career even more memorable by holding the the Chiba Lotte Marines hitless in a 9-0 victory on Tuesday night in the team’s home opener at Es Con Field in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido.

Hosono became the 91st pitcher in Japan pro baseball history and the first for the Fighters to achieve the feat since Cody Ponce in 2022. It was the 103rd no-hitter, including perfect games, in the Japan leagues, and the seventh for the franchise.

“It was too good,” Hosono said after the game. “It was like a bonus. Holding them to zero [hits] gives me a boost of confidence.”

Hosono threw 128 pitches in facing 29 batters, striking out 12, walking one and having one hit-by-pitch. He induced nine grounders, including one for a double play, and five flyouts. One runner got on base by an error.

Hosono started his historic outing by walking the leadoff hitter, but the double play erased the runner and provided momentum for the memorable night ahead

“It was great,” Fighters manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo said. “He allowed a walk on the top, but I think the double play … led him to achieve the no-hitter.”

The 24-year Hosono, now in his third year as pro, appeared in just eight games over the two previous seasons, notching three wins.

The Fighters’ No. 1 draft pick in 2023 out of Toyo University, he views this season as a “make-or-break year,” focusing on working on his control of a fastball that can hit as high as 158 kph on the speed gun.

On Tuesday, he received all the support he needed early on, as the Fighters tagged Lotte starter Yuto Kimura for seven runs in the second inning, when Kotaro Kiyomiya hit a three-run homer and Franmil Reyes followed with a solo shot.

Kiyomiya and Reyes each added solo shots in the seventh.