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Charlie Shirek throws KBO’s first no-hitter in 14 years

June 24, 2014

Charlie Shirek, left, and Kim Tae-koon celebrate the no-hitter. (Yonhap)

Charlie Shirek of the NC Dinos on Tuesday threw the first no-hitter in the top South Korean baseball league in 14 years. He is the first non-Korean player to record a no-hitter in Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) history.

The 28-year-old American right-hander held the LG Twins hitless while striking out seven and walking three batters, as the visiting Dinos won the road game 6-0 at Jamsil Stadium.

Shirek became the first KBO pitcher to throw a no-no since Song Jin-woo, then with the Hanwha Eagles, on May 18, 2000. Shirek’s no-hitter is the 11th in the KBO’s 32-year history.

Shirek retired the first 10 batters he faced before walking Oh Ji-hwan with one out in the fourth. Oh was later thrown out trying to steal second.

In the ninth, Shirek quickly got two outs on a grounder and a strikeout. He then retired Park Yong-taik on a pop out to left for the no-hitter.

Shirek threw 110 pitches and improved to 6-3 on the season with an ERA of 2.99. It was his first complete game of the season.

Shirek joined the KBO before the 2013 season, the Dinos’ first in the league, after spending six seasons in minor leagues in the U.S. He was 11-7 in 2013 for the Dinos with the KBO-leading 2.48 ERA.

Shirek, out of University of Nebraska, was good enough to be added to the Chicago White Sox’s 40-man roster after the 2012 season, but chose to pursue an opportunity playing in Asia.

According to one American scouting report, Shirek has a good sinker and typically throws in the 91-93 miles per hour range, but “needs to miss more bats to reach the big leagues.”