Daichi Ishii of the Hanshin Tigers pitches during an NPB game against the Hiroshima Carp at Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima on Aug. 13, 2025. He tied the NPB record of throwing 39 consecutive scoreless innings. (Kyodo)
HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) — Daichi Ishii tied a Nippon Professional Baseball record of pitching 39 consecutive shutout innings as the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers beat the Hiroshima Carp 2-0 on Wednesday.
The right-hander reached the landmark set in 2021 by the Seibu Lions’ Kaima Taira, tossing a scoreless ninth inning at Mazda Stadium to earn his sixth save in his 42nd outing of the year as he got three strikeouts while allowing a single with two outs.
The 28-year-old tied former Tiger and his current skipper Kyuji Fujikawa’s CL record on Saturday and has now gone an inning better for a new milestone.
“It really sank in when I had the honor of having a photo taken with him,” Ishii said of Fujikawa, his idol who pitched for the Chicago Cubs and the Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball. “I genuinely want to rejoice (over the achievement).”
The run started on April 5, and Ishii boasts a 0.21 ERA this season. The Akita Prefecture native was their eighth draft pick ahead of the 2021 season and helped them win the CL and the Japan Series two years later.
On Wednesday, Haruto Takahashi (2-0) threw seven shutout innings on four hits to earn the win. The Tigers scored two runs in the third when runners reached second and third on errors, a sacrifice scored the first run and a Daichi Osera (5-7) wild pitch plated the second.
In other action, the Pacific League-leading SoftBank Hawks beat the Seibu Lions 5-3 for their sixth straight win.