The Hiroshima Carp have emerged as the dominant team in the Central League as the 2024 NPB season approaches the midway point.
There are several reasons but first and foremost is a starting pitching rotation that is the envy of Japanese baseball and no doubt even the major leagues.
At the top of the rotation is right-hander Daichi Ohsera, who threw a no-hitter against the Chiba Lotte Marines on Friday, June 7.
The 32-year-old Ohsera is 4-0 with 49 strikeouts and a Central League-leading 0.87 ERA.
In addition to Ohsera, the Carp also have left-hander Hiroki Tokoda, who is 7-4 with 42 strikeouts and a 1.47 ERA in 12 games.
On Tuesday, June 25, right-hander Masato Morishita turned in a performance that would have impressed Shohei Ohtani.
Morishita threw a two-hit complete-game shutout as the Carp defeated the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3-0 at Mazda Stadium.
He needed just 91 pitches as he struck out four and walked none. Not only that, the Carp pitcher went 3-for-3 at the plate with singles in the third, fifth and sixth innings.
On the season, Morishita is 6-3 with 45 strikeouts and a 1.58 ERA in 10 games.
Another Strong Pitching Performance for the Hiroshima Carp
Aren Kuri followed Morishita's stellar performance with another gem on Wednesday, striking out four, walking none and giving up five hits and no earned runs over seven innings as the Carp defeated the Swallows 5-1.
Kuri improved to 4-4 with 55 strikeouts and a 2.36 ERA in 12 games.
"[Kuri] had a bit of a layoff between starts and I thought he looked a little sluggish at the start of the game," said Hiroshima manager Takahiro Arai. "But he settled down as the game went on and showed great tenacity."
Arai has a spectacular pitching rotation with which to work. He also has one of the best closers in the game in Ryoji Kuribayashi, who already has 20 saves, second most in the CL.
After Kuri's win, Hiroshima improved to 35-27-4 and is in first place in the Central League standings with a 3½-game lead over the second-place Hanshin Tigers.
If the pitchers can keep performing at this level, Hiroshima will be tough to catch.
Mizutani Impresses for Fighters
Shun Mizutani is having a breakout season with the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters.
The 6-foot-3 (190-cm), 198-pound (89-kg) outfielder is the son of a Nigerian father and a Japanese mother. He grew up in Aichi Prefecture and was a fan of the Tigers.
On Wednesday, June 19, the 23-year-old Mizutani was named MVP of the interleague games.
In 18 interleague games, Mizutani posted a .438 batting average, the highest ever for games between Pacific and Central League teams.
He had 28 hits, a .471 on-base-percentage, and hit safety in 16 out of 18 games.
"I am honored to receive this prestigious award," Mizutani was quoted as saying by Nikkan Sports. "It was my first time playing interleague games and I think the fact that I was able to cherish every at-bat without thinking too much about it led to these results.
"I will do my best to contribute to the team when the league games resume," Mizutani added. "So that people won't say that my performance was only in interleague games."
Mizutani was originally drafted in 2018 by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks but never played for the top team.
This is his first season in NPB. Mizutani hit his first home run of the season on June 2 in a game against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars at Es Con Field Hokkaido.
Mizutani Providing a Spark for the Fighters
It's still early, but it appears Mizutani has found a home in Hokkaido under Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who has a reputation for being a player's manager.
In 33 games this season, Mizutani has an impressive .365 batting average with three home runs and 20 RBIs.
Mizutani has joined an ever-growing list of Japanese hafu who are making their mark on the Japanese sports scene. Others include tennis star Naomi Osaka, Abdul Hakim Sani Brown in track and Mizutani's teammate Chusei Mannami.
Speaking of Mannami, the outfielder recently became the first player to get one million votes for the NPB All Star games since Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles DH Takeshi Yamasaki did so in 2007.
Last season, Mannami hit a career-high 25 homers while driving in 74 runs and posting a respectable .265 batting average in 141 games.
And Mannami is having another fine season for the Fighters. In 67 games, Mannami has nine homers, 33 RBIs and a .267 batting average.
Sasaki's Injury Woes
Marines pitcher Roki Sasaki has had another injury setback.
Lotte manager Masato Yoshii said on Wednesday, June 19 that Sasaki still needs recovery time before the team can reactivate him.
The 22-year-old right-hander was dropped from the active roster on June 13 due to what the team referred to as "the poor condition of his right arm."
Sasaki was also deactivated after a start on May 24, pitched on June 8 before being deactivated for the second time this season.
In 2022, Sasaki became the Japanese pro baseball's youngest perfect-game pitcher. He also played for Japan when it won the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Sasaki is 5-2 in nine starts this year with 70 strikeouts in 59⅔ innings and a 1.96 ERA.
The Iwate Prefecture native has a history of injury issues and I think it goes without saying that his ongoing injury troubles will be a concern to any MLB scout.
Fighters Dominate All-Star Voting
The Fighters are in third place in the Pacific League standings, a big improvement so far from 2023 when they finished last.
That improvement has been reflected in fan voting for the July 23-24 All-Star Series.
Nine Fighters players were the top vote-getters in their respective categories when the interim results were released on Monday, June 24.
Mannami led all players with 1,202,643 votes. Among Nipponham's other top vote-getters were pitcher Sachiya Yamasaki and first baseman Ariel Martinez.
Despite his injury concerns, Lotte's Sasaki was second behind Yamasaki with 311,355 votes. Yamasaki has 659,890.
Game 1 will be played at Nipponham's Es Con Field Hokkaido while Yakult's Jingu Stadium in Tokyo will host Game 2.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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