Cuban pitcher Liván Moinelo delivered a monumental performance in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), throwing a complete-game shutout with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeating the Chiba Lotte Marines 9-0. According to reports from Cubadebate, Moinelo allowed just three hits, issued two walks, and struck out nine batters to secure his third victory in as many starts this season.
A Complete-Game Masterpiece After Shoulder Rehabilitation
The left-hander from Pinar del Río dominated from the opening frame. Moinelo returned to the mound for the ninth inning having already thrown 99 pitches. Rather than turning to the bullpen, he finished the shutout with a total of 115 pitches.
This dominant outing highlights a remarkable recovery. A left shoulder injury sustained in May sidelined Moinelo for the first part of the season, requiring a rehabilitation process that included minor league outings in late July. Since returning to the first team on August 12, where he threw six scoreless innings in a 16-2 rout of the Marines, Moinelo has surrendered only nine hits and a single earned run across 21 outings, good for a 0.43 ERA while racking up 21 strikeouts.
Building on Historic Pacific League Precedents
Moinelo carries this current scoreless streak forward from a historic 2025 campaign. He captured the Pacific League MVP award, becoming the first Cuban player and the first foreign recipient since 2017 to earn the honor after posting a 12-3 record with a 1.46 ERA and 172 strikeouts over 167 innings. That performance followed his 2024 breakthrough, where he claimed the Pacific League effectiveness title with a 1.88 ERA in 163 frames, marking the first time a Latin American pitcher achieved it in that league.
Signed by the SoftBank Hawks in May 2017 out of San Juan y Martínez, Moinelo has since risen to become one of the most dominant figures in the NPB. His current trajectory proves that the level that earned him MVP recognition remains fully intact despite the mid-season layoff.
Broader Impact of Cuban Stars in Japan
Moinelo’s success is part of a larger wave of standout performances by Cuban athletes across the Nippon circuit. While Moinelo anchors the Fukuoka pitching staff in the Pacific League, Raidel Martínez continues to dominate as the closer for the Yomiuri Giants in the Central League, leading the circuit in saves with 35 at the close of this day’s games.
With his ERA hovering near zero and his stamina fully tested by a 115-pitch workload, Moinelo has quickly erased any doubts regarding his durability following the shoulder injury. The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks return to action in their ongoing Pacific League schedule as they lean on their reigning MVP down the stretch.
Worth a look
