On an  magical  Thursday  evening in Nagoya, Daisuke Yamai and Hitoki Iwase combined  on a  perfect game to give the Chunichi Dragons  4-1 series victory over  the  Nippon Ham Fighters. The title is the team’s first since 1954.

With manager Trey Hillman electing to start  Yu Darvish, the Dragons knew there would be little margin for error. So the Dragons were  flawless.  Painting the corners as if in a trance Yamai struck out six over eight innings.  Iwase, who also saved Game 4 the night before,  retired the final three batters in order, including Eiichi Koyano on a grounder to second, to nail down the first perfect game in Japanese Series history.

Despite  Darvish’s sensational 11 strikeout performance he took the loss,  surrendering a single run on a sacrifice fly by Ryosuke Hirata that scored Tyrone Woods in the 2nd inning. The 1-0 held.  

After the game series MVP Norihiro Nakamura, who had four RBIs in five games, broke down in tears as he spoke to the frenzied crowd.

The loss officially ended the Japanese managerial career of Trey Hillman, who will be at the helm of the Kansas City Royals next season.

“This was a very rewarding experience for me,” Hillman told reporters after the game. “I like to think I’m a better person because of the time I’ve spent in this society.”