Phenom Pitcher Roki Sasaki Continues Perfect-Inning Streak in NPB

The 20-year old followed up his perfect game with another stellar performance.

It is extremely difficult to follow a perfect game with a performance just as good, but Roki Sasaki almost did exactly that. After throwing a perfect game in the NPB last week, the 20-year-old Japanese phenom threw eight more perfect innings before being taken out of the game.

Sasaki’s day was done after throwing 102 pitches when the game was tied 0-0 in the eighth inning. The right-hander added 14 strikeouts to go along with his record-breaking 19 punch outs from last week.

Last week: Rōki Sasaki throws a perfect game with 19Ks in a 1-0 victory for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 🇯🇵

Today: Sasaki throws another 8 perfect innings with 14Ks before being taken out on 102 pitches at 0-0.

He has 17 consecutive PERFECT innings... 🔥pic.twitter.com/l1sOEDBi6U

— Baseball Brit (@BaseballBrit) April 17, 2022

The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters ultimately scored on a solo home run in the 10th inning to beat Sasaki’s Chiba Lotte Marines.

Sasaki has now retired 52 straight batters in 17 straight perfect innings, which is a professional record in the NPB. He has a chance to extend that streak next Sunday.

White Sox pitcher Mark Buerhle threw 5 2/3 perfect innings the start after his perfect game in 2009, the closest an MLB pitcher has come to tossing two straight perfect games. 

Buerhle’s 45-straight hitters retired streak stood for five years until Yusmeiro Petit broke that mark in 2014. Petit retired 46 straight over an eight-game stretch as both a starter and reliever.

While no MLB pitcher has ever thrown two consecutive perfect games, the only pitcher to throw two consecutive no-hitters in MLB history is Johnny Vander Meer, who completed the feat in 1938.

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