Baseball: Takinaka flirts with no-hitter in Eagles’ win over Lions

Ryota Takinaka came within two outs of throwing a no-hitter as the Rakuten Eagles defeated the Seibu Lions 5-0 on Sunday.

Takinaka (2-1) allowed a one-out single to pinch-hitter Shota Hiranuma and left the mound in the ninth inning at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, eastern Japan.

The 28-year-old right-hander walked three and struck out nine, seven of them between the sixth and eighth innings, in a 123-pitch outing.

“I’m tired now,” Takinaka said. “I did want to throw a no-hitter, but it’s so me (that I could not).”

“My forkball worked well. I learned how to throw it from (teammate and former New ...