Hsu Jo-hsi Pitches Gem in NPB Farm League; Manager Hints at Early Return

Central News Agency, Taipei, May 22. Taiwanese pitcher Hsu Jo-hsi, playing for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), threw a complete-game shutout in the farm league today. Manager Hiroki Kokubo revealed that his return to the first team might be moved up. Hsu has struggled in the first team this year with a 1-3 record and a 7.23 ERA, leading to his demotion to the farm team in early May for adjustments. Today, facing the Hiroshima Toyo Carp farm team, he pitched a complete nine-inning shutout on just 87 pitches, allowing only two hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks. According to the Japanese media outlet Nishinippon Sports, Manager Kokubo stated that Hsu's pitches are not bad and his pitching pattern is established. 'There are some non-pitching mechanism areas that need to be changed, and minor adjustments could have immediate effects. If he incorporates these changes now, the batters' reactions will likely be different,' he said.