Masahiro Yamamoto became the oldest pitcher in Japanese baseball history to throw a no-hitter Saturday as the Chunichi Dragons beat the Hanshin Tigers 3-0 and extended their Central League lead to six games.
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| Chunichi Dragons starter Masahiro Yamamoto acknowledges the fans at Nagoya Dome after completing a no-hitter during Saturday's game against the Hanshin Tigers, becoming the oldest player in Japanese baseball history to throw a no-no. KYODO PHOTOS |
Backed by home runs from Hirokazu Ibata and Tyrone Woods, Yamamoto (9-7) displayed superb control and pitched his first career no-hitter at 41 years, 1 month after striking out five and issuing no walks in a 97-pitch outing at Nagoya Dome.
He faced only one batter over the minimum. Norihiro Akahoshi was Hanshin's only runner in the game, reaching base leading off the fourth on a fielding error by third baseman Masahiko Morino.