Yomiuri Giants starter Iori Yamasaki extended his scoreless innings streak to open the 2025 NPB season to 35 on Wednesday night, April 30 at Tokyo Dome.
Yamasaki (4-0) held the Hiroshima Carp to five hits and struck out six in seven sharp innings. He walked one batter in Yomiuri's 2-0 victory.
In five starts this season, Yamasaki hasn't allowed a run. And on the final evening of April, he broke the Central League record for most consecutive scoreless innings to open a season. Etsuo Nakai of the Hanshin Tigers set the previous mark of 31 innings in 1963. Hanshin's Shoki Murakami equaled Nakai's feat in 2023.
"I'm happy to have pitched [seven] scoreless innings, but I'm even happier and more proud that we won the game," Yamasaki said, according to NHK.
After Yamasaki's latest strong start, Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe commended the pitcher's performance.
"That's 100 points for great pitching," Abe said, according to NHK. "It's a great record, and I don't think it's easy to achieve, but at some point, you're going to get scored on."
In the sixth inning, Giants first baseman Riku Masuda provided the only run support Yamasaki needed, smacking a two-run double. It was Masuda's first extra-base hit of the season.
Iori Yamasaki Escapes a Jam in the 7th
With one out and runners on first and second in the seventh inning, Yamasaki quelled the Carp's scoring threat. He struck out pinch hitters Shogo Sakakura and Shota Dobayashi to preserve the shutout.
"I was feeling like I had to give it my all," Yamasaki said, according to NHK, describing a key sequence in the game. Yamasaki added that Giants catcher Takuya Kai encouraged him, saying, "Come on," the Japanese national broadcaster reported.
It helped.
"I was able to throw the ball with a lot of energy," Yamasaki said.
Yamasaki, in his fourth NPB season, left the game after making 112 pitches.
Giants reliever Kota Nakagawa worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and closer Raidel Martinez recorded his ninth save of the season with a three-up, three-down ninth.
Yomiuri (15-11-1) won its third straight game and sits in first place in the CL standings.
As an NPB rookie, Yamasaki went 5-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 2022. He posted a 10-5 record with a 2.72 ERA the next season, and he had nearly identical numbers (10-6, 2.81) in 2024.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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