Presented by BACON BOISE.
This Day In Sports…August 12, 2015, 10 years ago today:
Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma becomes only the second Japanese pitcher ever to throw a major league no-hitter when he blanks Baltimore 3-0 at Safeco Field. It was also the first no-hitter by an American Leaguer since Mariners teammate Felix Hernandez’s perfect game three years earlier—and it was Iwakuma’s first career complete game.
Iwakuma had been on the injured list for much of the first half of 2015 but had steadily built momentum since returning to the rotation in early July. The right-hander was peaking when he faced the Orioles, and he used his signature splitter to handcuff the O’s, allowing just three walks and striking out seven. Iwakuma threw 116 pitches and retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced. M’s center fielder Austin Jackson snagged the final out and was asked afterward if he thought the ball was going to drop. “Oh, come on!” Roberts exclaimed. “When it went up in the air, in that situation—hopefully any situation—that ball doesn’t touch the ground.”
After playing 11 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Iwakuma signed with Seattle before the 2012 season. It was a tough go out of the gate, but Iwakuma found his rhythm later in that campaign. Then came a breakout 2013 season that saw him make the American League All-Star team and finish third in Cy Young Award voting after going 14-6 with a 2.66 ERA. Iwakuma remained a steady performer in 2016 before retiring in 2017.
The first—and only other—Japanese pitcher with a no-hitter, Hideo Nomo, did it twice: with the L.A. Dodgers in 1996 and the Boston Red Sox in 2001. Wouldn’t it be something if Shohei Ohtani became the third one on the list? There aren’t many things the Dodgers two-way superstar hasn’t done on his way to becoming perhaps the best player in MLB history. Ohtani’s been a Rookie of the Year, a three-time MVP and a two-time season home run champion. His career big league pitching record is 38-19 with a 2.98 ERA. The no-hitter is the missing link.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
