The 101st No-Hitter in NPB History at Koshien Stadium
On May 24, 2024, Yomiuri Giants right-hander Shosei Togo threw a no-hitter against the Hanshin Tigers at the hostile Hanshin Koshien Stadium. It was the 101st no-hitter in NPB history and the 17th for the Giants franchise. Togo threw 123 pitches, striking out five and walking one in a 1-0 complete game shutout. The 24-year-old ace's achievement of this milestone at the home ground of their arch-rivals was a symbolic event that influenced the Central League landscape. However, behind this record lies a debate over official scoring decisions. During the game, Hanshin batters reached base twice, but both instances were ruled as errors. Had either been scored as a hit, the no-hitter would not have stood. The controversy over the record's legitimacy began immediately after the game.
Find books about no-hitter history on Amazon
Details of the Two Error Rulings
The controversy centered on two error rulings recorded during the game. Both involved plays where the batted ball handling was borderline, and either could reasonably have been scored as a hit. In baseball, the boundary between a hit and an error depends heavily on the official scorer's subjective judgment. The standard of whether a play could have been handled with ordinary defensive effort is interpreted differently depending on the observer. Particularly on difficult infield grounders or fly balls requiring outfielder judgment, it is not uncommon for the same play to receive different rulings from different scorers. Both error rulings in Togo's no-hitter fell on this ambiguous boundary. Among Hanshin fans, the sentiment that those should have been hits remained strong, and even among Giants fans, many acknowledged the rulings were close calls.
Structural Problems in the Official Scoring System
The fundamental issue raised by Togo's no-hitter is the structure in which official scorers' decisions determine whether a historic no-hitter stands or falls. NPB's official scorers are stationed at each ballpark and make record-keeping decisions on hits, errors, sacrifices, and other plays. However, their judgment criteria are not fully standardized, with significant portions left to individual scorers' experience and discretion. In MLB, there was a case in 2014 where a play initially ruled an error during Yu Darvish's no-hit bid was later changed to a hit. In 2025, Yankees pitcher Max Fried had held opponents hitless through seven innings when a sixth-inning error ruling was changed to a hit just before his eighth-inning pitch, eliminating the no-hitter possibility. Scoring changes that fundamentally alter a game's historical significance have occurred repeatedly in both Japanese and American baseball. In NPB as well, the need for institutional reform to improve transparency and consistency in scoring decisions has been pointed out.
Questionable Records in No-Hitter History
In baseball history, no-hitters where official scoring decisions generated debate are not limited to Togo's case. Plays where the hit-or-error ruling is debatable attract particular scrutiny in no-hitter situations. The suspicion that official scorers tend to rule borderline plays as errors when a no-hitter is at stake has existed for a long time. In games where a pitcher is dealing, the possibility that scorers are unconsciously influenced by a bias toward wanting the no-hitter to stand cannot be entirely dismissed. On the other hand, there is the counterargument that scorers are trained professionals who make fair judgments, and such bias does not exist. Togo's case added a new example to this eternal debate. The record's legitimacy is officially recognized, but the hypothetical of what if those rulings had been hits will likely be discussed among fans for years to come.
Books about NPB records and history are also helpful
Togo's Ability and the Record's Value
Despite the scoring debates, there is no doubt that Shosei Togo's pitching performance in this game was outstanding. He threw a complete game on 123 pitches with only one walk. Even after issuing a walk in the ninth inning, he calmly retired the subsequent batters, finishing off the last hitter with a strikeout. Born in 2000 in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, Togo was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2018 draft from Seishin Ursula Gakuen High School. Despite being a high school draftee, he made his first-team debut in his rookie year and established himself as the Giants' ace, being selected to four consecutive All-Star games from 2021 onward. He was also selected for Japan's national team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Even if there is debate over the no-hitter's scoring decisions, Togo remains one of NPB's premier pitchers. His essential ability as a pitcher, unaffected by external factors like official scoring decisions, represents Togo's true value.