Pitching in any professional league is no easy accomplishment. But throwing a complete-game shutout is something that isn’t seen on an everyday basis across any baseball league. Last night in the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB), Makoto Aduwa of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp threw the first one of his career.
The 25-year-old righty, Makoto Aduwa, accomplished his complete-game shutout, throwing 133 pitches, throwing all nine innings, and only allowed three hits, three walks, and struck out three batters. Aduwa made his NPB debut at just 18 years old in 2017. His pitch mix includes a fastball, change-up, curveball, slider, and forkball. Also, he is of Nigerian and Japanese descent.
Aduwa is pitching in his seventh professional season, and this year, he has proven his dominance as a starter. So far, in 13 starts this year, he’s posted a 3.48 ERA, recorded a 5-3 record, thrown 68.2 innings, and struck out 44 batters. At the start of his career, Aduwa had been throwing in the Carp’s bullpen before transitioning to a starter in 2019.
As for his heritage, Aduwa was born in Kumamoto, Japan. His mother is Japanese, and his father is Nigerian. His mother played volleyball growing up, which could attest to Aduwa being 6’5”. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2016 NPB Draft. It’s been a grind for him, as he missed the entire 2021 season recovering from elbow surgery. But, being only 25, Aduwa can be profiled as a middle-of-the-rotation starter for years to come.
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WBN NPB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/japan/
Photo Credit: Wikidata.org
