◆ Pacific League Nippon-Ham 9-0 Lotte (31st, ES CON FIELD)

Nippon-Ham 's Haruki Hosono pitcher (24) achieved a scoreless game against Lotte at Escon on the 31st hit This is the 91st time in history since Daichi Osera (Hiroshima) in June 2024 and the 103rd time in history. He is the seventh member of the team. The third-year left-hander, who made his first appearance this season, faced hitter 29 players and took runner three times due to 2 walks and Hit by Pitch errors, but he took 12 struck out and closer the Lotte lineup with 128 pitches. The batting line also provided a large amount of support with 4 Home Run, stopping the losing streak from the opening at 3 and winning the first win of the season.

As his teammates mobbed him on mound, Hosono's expression softened. In the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and a runner on first, his 128th pitch to Fujiwara, a 150 km/h fastball, landed perfectly on the outside corner, and he gave a small fist pump with his left hand. Standing in the center of a massive crowd of 31,457 at the opening game of the season for the Escon, he said, "It's more than I could have hoped for. I wasn't aiming for no hitter at all, so it's kind of like a bonus, but being able to closer scoreless has given me a lot of confidence." His first complete game and first shutout game as a professional was the 91st no hitter in history. A wide smile spread across his face.

He volunteered to become the ace in order to change himself. This offseason, he participated in Ito's Escon voluntary training for the first time. He joined the team as the first overall pick in the 2023 draft as a left-handed pitcher with a top speed of 158 km/h who was expected to be an immediate impact player, but in the two years until last season, he only managed 3 wins in 8 appearances. Based on the fact that he struggled with control issues despite his powerful fastball, he started working on a new form with a lower arm position. He changed the position of his glove before entering pitch motion from the set position, closer to home base, taking Ito as a reference, in pursuit of a motion that would transfer power more efficiently. "I've been able to generate power even when throwing lightly, and my movements have become smoother and more unconscious." strike out mainly with his fastball which reached a top speed of 153 km/h. He limited Hit by Pitch to just 2, demonstrating the effectiveness of his new form.

He overcame the anxiety of something he had never experienced before. He was given the role of opening day pitcher at home games, a position originally scheduled for Arihara. When he woke up at 5 a.m., he was overcome with nausea he had never experienced before. After arriving at the stadium, he said, "I was more talkative than usual," and he actively communicated with his younger teammates, taking pictures of each other with instant cameras, to ease his tension. "I was surprisingly calm until the game," he said, and he calmly took to mound.

Manager Shinjo said, "He changed the heavy atmosphere. He's the type of pitcher who can pitch well when he's nervous, so I hope he gets even more nervous from now on (laughs)." He gave the highest praise to the savior who rescued the team from three consecutive losses at the start of the season.

In his third year, he's made the opening day rotation for the first time. His goal is to maintain that spot for the entire year. "There are some amazing starting pitcher, but I want to show them that Hosono won't be outdone." A new star has emerged in the formidable starting rotation of the Shinjo-led Fighters. (Haruki Kawakami)

◆Record Notes ▼...Hosono (Nippon Ham) achieved the 91st no hitter in professional baseball, the first since Osera (Hiroshima) on June 7, 2024, against Lotte. In the Pacific League, it is the 34th no-hitter and 36th overall, the first since Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix) on September 9, 2023, against Lotte. For the team, it is the 7th no-hitter, the first since Ponce on August 27, 2022, against Softbank Hawks.

▼...Achieving this with 12 or more strike out makes him the 10th player to do so, the first being Roki Sasaki (Lotte) who strike out against Orix Buffaloes on April 10, 2022. This ties him with Yukihiro Nishizaki, who achieved the most strike out in the team's history in 1995.

▼...Achieved on March 31st, this was only the second time it had been accomplished in March, the first being on March 18, 1940, against the Lions, by Tadashi Kameda (The Eagles) during the single-league era. It was the first time since the two-league system was established. Achieving it in the fourth game of the season tied the record for the fastest completion, previously held by Eiji Sawamura (Giants) in the fall of 1936 and Kameda in 1940.

Ayako, the mother of Nippon-Ham 's Hosono (who witnessed the achievement at home), said, "I think it was only possible because of the support from all fielder. I was so nervous I felt like I was going to throw up (laughs). He's been struggling for so long, so I'm genuinely happy with today's result. I hope he can gain a little confidence in himself and continue to work hard."

◆Haruki Hosono: Born February 26, 2002, in Tokyo. Age 24. Attended Toa Gakuen High School and then Toyo University. He was on the bench from the fall of his freshman year and was selected for the Japanese national university team in his senior year, contributing to their victory in the Japan-USA University baseball Championship. In the 2023 draft, Nippon-Ham, having missed out on Nishidate (The Giants) and Maeda (Softbank Hawks), selected him as their first pick. After a lottery with Lotte, they acquired the negotiation rights. Up until last season, he appeared in 8 professional games, with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss and ERA of 2.00. 180 cm, 88 kg. Left-handed pitcher and left-handed batter. His salary this season is 17 million yen.