Near No-Hitter Leads Bo Takahashi to be Named California League Pitcher of the Week

VISALIA, CA- The Visalia Rawhide and California League have announced that RHP Bo Takahashi has been selected as the California League Pitcher of the Week for the period of August 21- 27.

The 20-year old right-hander made a career start against Modesto last Friday night, tossing seven ho-hit innings and finishing eight innings complete for the second time in his career. He pitched five perfect innings in the effort and surrendered his first hit when Modesto's Donnie Walton hit a ground ball single up the middle. Takahashi went on to retire the next three hitters in order and finished the night having allowed just the one hit with six strikeouts and two walks.
Takahashi would have been the first Visalia pitcher to throw a nine-inning no-hitter since Jeff Francis no-hit Modesto on July 6, 2003. It would have been the first nine-inning no-hit effort since Visalia rebranded as the Rawhide.
With Visalia this season, Takahashi is 7-9 with a 4.50 ERA, allowing 96 hits and racking up 90 strikeouts in 106.0 innings. Cal League opponents are hitting just .241 against him and he's posted a 1.21 WHIP. His ERA, WHIP, and Average Against are all among the league leaders in the California League.
Takahashi had a brief stint with the Rawhide in 2016, making two starts while going 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA as a 19-year old. Overall, 2016 was a strong year for Takahashi, who went 6-4 with a 2.81 ERA between Short Season Hillsboro, Class-A Kane County, and Visalia. He was also named the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week on June 29, 2015 in his second professional season.
Takahashi, who was signed as an International Free Agent on December 23, 2013, grabs the third Pitcher of the Week Award by a Rawhide player this. Takahashi was also given the honor on June 5 and Cody Reed claimed the award on July 23.  
The Rawhide are now in the midst of a playoff hunt as they seek their fifth consecutive berth into the California League postseason. Visalia will finish off the regular season on the road, beginning with a three-game series in Stockton tonight. For playoff tickets and more information visit Rawhidebaseball.com or call 559-732-4433. You can follow the Rawhide on Twitter (@VisaliaRawhide), Facebook (TheRawhide), Instagram (@visaliarawhide) and Snap Chat (visaliarawhide).