Japanese exchange student braves worry over family back home to throw prep no-hitter

The recent disaster in Japan has hit one California high school pitcher especially hard, but that hasn’t kept Japanese exchange student Kyohei Hayakawa from reaching greatness. The 18-year-old, who hails from Toyota City, Japan, threw a no-hitter for Tulare Union High School on Thursday. In fact, he was one pitch from a perfect game, issuing a walk in the sixth inning. From Prep Rally:

He wanted to win, in part, to honor his homeland. Hayakawa said he has been feverishly following the media’s coverage of the tsunami and nuclear reactor leaks in his homeland, with slight comfort from the knowledge that his family in Toyota City is currently safe. The teenager said that it took days for him to get in touch with his family, and that he begged them to stock up on dry goods in case an earthquake hit closer to home.

Hayakawa’s coach said that he was sure that his star pupil carried significant concern with him constantly about the struggles of his homeland.

“He’s only 18 years old, but he has a great deal of composure for being that age,” Brown told the Advance-Register. “He carries it with himself all the time. I’m sure there is a lot built up underneath that he doesn’t show us.”

Fun facts: Hayakawa knows little English, and communicates with his coach through an iPhone translator app. Also, he pitches exclusively from the stretch.

Photo: Juan Villa, Times-Delta.

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Japanese exchange student throws no hitter days after tsunami [Prep Rally]
Japanese exchange student Kyohei Hayakawa excels on the baseball diamond for Tulare Union [Visalia Times Delta]