Keito Takeuchi (24) of the Kufu Hayate Ventures, the first player in Japanese baseball with a medical license, pitched a no-hitter.
Takeuchi pitched in relief on May 5 against the Western League (2nd Division) Orix 2nd Team.
Down 3-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning, he retired the first three batters he faced. He got a fly ball to center, a fly ball to left, and a fly ball to right. He lowered his ERA from 6.55 to 6.00. Kufuhayate took the loss, falling to 3-5.
Takeuchi had a rough outing against SoftBank’s second team on Feb. 2, throwing 20 pitches in one inning with three hits, one walk, one strikeout and two runs allowed, before tossing a one-hit perfect game against the Orix’s second team.
Takeuchi has appeared in seven games (12 innings) this season, giving up 11 runs (eight earned) on 15 hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Takeuchi has garnered some buzz as a “pseudo-pitcher. He received news of his medical license after pitching in the Western League opener on March 15.
He made his professional debut with three innings of two-run relief against the Orix’s second team in the fifth inning. 안전놀이터 추천 He found out afterward that he had passed the Japanese Medical Board Examination.
Takeuchi took the JMJC in early February, and the results were announced the same day, and he passed. His mother texted him the news, which he confirmed in the locker room after the seventh inning.
The Nippon Baseball Organization added two independent leagues to the Eastern and Western Leagues this year, in addition to the 12 club second teams. Kufu Hayate joined the Western League and Oshikisu Niigata joined the Eastern League.