It’s already his second complete game of the season.
Yokohama BayStars left-handed ace Shota Yamanaga, 30, nearly threw a complete game shutout. 23rd.
Takes the mound against the Hanshin Tigers at Yokohama Stadium, tossing nine innings of one-run ball.
On the first day that league play resumed after the interleague, he pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He came close to a complete game victory, but gave up one run in the ninth inning to end the game.
It was his second complete game of the season, after the interleague game against the Rakuten Eagles on May 30. Against Rakuten, he allowed two runs in nine innings. It was his third straight win.
Imanaga pitched in three interleague games, totaling 24 innings. He posted two wins, including a complete game shutout, and a 1.87 ERA.
In the first inning, he struggled with his command. He gave up a double and a walk. With runners on second and third, he struck out No. 5 Teruaki Sato to get out of the jam.
He settled down in the second inning. Through the top of the seventh, he allowed one hit and a walk while striking out six. He gave up back-to-back singles in the top of the eighth, but retired Takumu Nakano and Sheldon Neugebauer on back-to-back singles.
He had thrown 106 pitches by the top of the eighth. Imanaga took the mound in the top of the ninth. Facing the leadoff batter, No. 4 Yusuke Oyama, at 1B, he threw a 148-kilometer-per-hour fastball high in the middle of the plate. Oyama hit this ball
and sent it over the left field fence.
He gave up a hit a batter later, but struck out the next batter. Oyama threw 126 pitches in the 3-1 win. It was his most in a single game this season.
“Today was a game for Imanaga,” said manager Daisuke Miura, a former Yokohama pitching legend. Imanaga said, “I wasn’t conscious of a complete game. I only thought that the team should win, no matter how many points I gave away.”
It’s a significant win for the ace. After finishing second in the Central League last year behind the Yakult Swallows, Yokohama is looking to win the title this season. They are in a tie for first place with Hanshin, who closed the gap to 1.5 games with the win. 메이저놀이터
Imanaga took the loss against Hanshin on May 12 after giving up five runs in four innings. It was his first win in more than 40 days. The win was his eighth straight at home, and Yokohama’s 11th straight against Hanshin.
Imanaga was one of the mainstays of Japan’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) victory. In the second game of the group stage against South Korea, he pitched three innings of one-run ball behind starter Darvish Yu. In the final against the United States, he started and got the win.