Throwing a no hitter is an impressive enough accomplishment on its own. On this day in 1973, Japanese pitcher Yutaka Enatsu made baseball history when he hit a walk off home run in his own no hitter.
A no hitter, while not exactly rare, is still an impressive accomplishment. So many little things can go wrong, like a ball landing just out of reach of a fielder, or a great pitch that was fought off for a base hit, that can end the pitching gem. Once a game reaches extra innings, that potential for disaster only increases.
That was the scenario that Japanese pitcher Yutaka Enatsu faced on this day in 1973. Pitching for the Hanchin Tigers, Enatsu did not allow a hit to the Chunichi Dragons. The problem was, the Tigers were unable to score themselves. The game moved on to the tenth and the eleventh innings, with Enatsu continuing to no hit the Dragons.
With the game in the bottom of the eleventh inning, and Enatsu still pitching well, the Tigers pitcher went up to bat. Enatsu was not exactly a fearsome hitter during his 18 year career, belting seven homers and producing a meager .150 batting average. However, with his no hitter on the line, he made baseball history, hitting a home run to be the first player to hit a walk off homer to win his own no hitter.
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With that home run, Enatsu avoided the fate of Harvey Haddix, and later, Rich Hill and Pedro Martinez. His no hitter remained intact, and he completed the 59th no hitter in Japanese baseball history. it was a fitting capstone to his excellent campaign, where he went 24-13 with a 2.58 ERA and a 1.107 WHiP, leading the league in wins.
That would be the last productive season Enatsu had as a starter. He had led the league in wins twice, and was the ERA leader in 1969. He was the Sawamura Award winner in 1968, setting a record with his 401 strikeouts in the season.
After two mediocre seasons in the rotation, Enatsu transitioned to the bullpen. He retained his star status as a closer, leading the league in saves six times and winning five consecutive Fireman of the Year awards. He ended his career with 206 wins, 193 saves, and 2987 strikeouts. Despite splitting his career between starting and relieving, Enatsu is in the top 20 in Japanese baseball history in wins, shutouts, and ERA, while ranking fifth all time in strikeouts.
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Sometimes, a player needs to take matters into their own hands. In doing so, Yutaka Enatsu made sure he would get his no hitter, and made baseball history as well.