In the top of the eighth inning, his 110-pitch fastball to No. 4 hitter Yusuke Oyama touched 157 kilometers per hour. It was the second fastest fastball of the day after his 158 mph. He retired batters 4,5,6 in order on a swinging strikeout, a grounder to shortstop, and a swinging strikeout to end the inning. 126 pitches. Yamamoto pitched like Yamamoto.
He warmed up in the bottom of the eighth, then came back out in the top of the ninth. He struck out leadoff hitter Genta Itohara on a 132-pitch, 157-kilometer-per-hour fastball. He then struck out pinch-hitter Ryo Watanabe on three pitches with one out. He followed with a 148-mile-per-hour forkball. Yuji Chikamoto’s first pitch from second base was a grounder to the second baseman.
Yamamoto, who had three outs on 12 pitches, threw his hands in the air and roared. He shook hands with catcher Kenya Wakatsuki and hugged him tightly. A 138-pitch complete game.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 25, the Orix Buffaloes’ “monster pitcher” on the verge of making the major leagues, has completed his final mission. He pitched a nine-inning, nine-hit, one-run complete game in Game 6 of the Japan Series against the Hanshin Tigers at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka on Thursday. He reaffirmed his status as the best pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball.
In Game 5, the Orix took a 2-0 lead before their bullpen collapsed in the eighth inning, giving up six runs. In Game 4, they lost on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth. Yamamoto didn’t put the burden on the bullpen, he took it on himself from start to finish, just like he said he would.
Yamamoto pitched a complete game and the Orix won 5-1. The series is now tied 3-3.
Yamamoto showed why major league clubs are watching him closely. His 14 strikeouts set a new Japan Series record for a single game. Recorded a strikeout in every inning except the sixth.
Gave up a leadoff home run to Hanshin No. 5 Sheldon Noji in the top of the second inning. The 156-mile-per-hour fastball was a wild pitch. It was hit high in the middle of the plate. Teruaki Sato, No. 6, doubled to right field and Gento Itohara, No. 8, singled to center. First and third. With runners on second and third, he walked #9 Seishiro Sakamoto to load the bases.
The nightmare of Game 1 seemed to be coming to life. 무지개토토 도메인
Yamamoto took the loss in Game 1 on Oct. 28 after giving up seven runs (seven earned) on 10 hits in 5⅔ innings. It was the first time in his seven-year pro career that he allowed seven earned runs in one game. No one saw this coming.
But Yamamoto didn’t go down without a fight. He retired Chikamoto on a swinging strikeout in the first and got out of the inning without allowing another run. He gave up back-to-back singles in the fourth and seventh innings, but was able to hold them scoreless.
After losing Game 1, Yamamoto told the Japanese media, “We can’t finish like this. Even if we lost the first game, our team