THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 17, 2022 at 18:51 JST
Roki Sasaki of the Chiba Lotte Marines throws a perfect game on April 10. (Provided by Nikkan Sports)
CHIBA—Chiba Lotte Marines’ pitcher Roki Sasaki was nearing an astonishing second straight perfect game, but he was pulled after the eighth inning in a tight game against the Nippon Ham Fighters on April 17.
The 20-year-old’s pitch count reached 102, and he was replaced with the score 0-0 at Zozo Marine Stadium here.
The Fighters won the game 1-0 in 10 innings.
Sasaki struck out 14 batters, and he extended his perfect streak to 17 innings.
In his perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes on April 10, Sasaki threw 105 pitches and fanned 19 of the 27 batters he faced. It was the first perfect game in Nippon Professional Baseball in 28 years.
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