Yuki Saito continued to live up to the hype in the post-Yu Darvish era, throwing his first career shutout in the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' 5-0 victory over the Orix Buffaloes on Friday night.
Saito (3-1) scattered eight hits, all singles, walked two and struck out four in a 131-pitch outing at Hotto Motto Field.
"Honestly, I'm very happy," said second-year pro Saito, who is the new headliner after the departure of Darvish to the Texas Rangers.