Seibu Lions’ Kaima Taira pitching at Nango Stadium in Nango, Miyazaki July 1, 2021 Ryukyu Shimpo
Seibu Lions pitcher Kaima Taira (21, Yaeyama Commercial and Technical High School), pitched his 39th consecutive shutout appearance July 1 against the SoftBank Hawks in their 15th matchup of the season at the Fukuoka PayPay Dome, breaking a 15-year-old record. In his previous appearance on June 28, also against the Hawks, he tied the record at 38 appearances set by the Hanshin Tigers’ Kyuji Fujikawa in 2006. Taira’s string of shutout appearances has been going since the start of the season. On June 13 he broke a record for both the Central and Pacific leagues set in 1950, for the most shutout games to start a season with 32, which is now up to 39 and counting.