

EDT Friday after a 7,469-mile charter flight and is adjusting to a 13-hour time difference. Sasaski arrived with the Japanese team at 4:30 a.m. He’s also spoken with Ohtani about the transition to MLB, about “what team or what type of environment in the major leagues can provide.” “I think something will become clear when I’m going to shift over,” Sasaki said through a translator. Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels at age 23 ahead of the 2018 season and emerged as one of MLB’s greatest talents. Given the success of Shohei Ohtani, Sasaki is likely to be coveted by U.S.

ballpark had been in the same stadium, to record a commercial for Amazon.Īnother Met Gala in the books, so how did they do on theme? Looking larger than his 6-foot-2 frame, Sasaki worked out with his Japanese teammates at LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. “He would be great at the big-league level right now.”

“He’s going to be a tremendous star in the big leagues whenever he gets here,” Mexico manager Benji Gil said Sunday. Seven days later, Sasaki was pulled after eight perfect innings against Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters to limit his pitch count. He became a sensation in his second season with the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines, pitching the 16th perfect game in Japanese history while striking out 19 against the Orix Buffaloes 6-0 on April 10. ballpark for the first time Monday night, when he’ll start for Japan in a World Baseball Classic semifinal against Mexico. The 21-year-old right-hander pitches in a U.S. When compared to MLB, that would have ranked second among starters, behind only Reds rookie Hunter Greene (98.9 mph).MIAMI (AP) - If Rōki Sasaki knows the perfect time for him to switch to the major leagues, he’s good at keeping a secret. Regarding his J.League numbers, the pitcher had an average fastball speed of 98.4 mph (157.44 km/h) for the 2022 season, the fastest in the competition. In the first inning, he threw 10 straightaways, all of which clocked in at over 100 mph. In his opener against Czech Republic, Sasaki came out firing triple-digit heat. In an exhibition game prior to the World Baseball Classic, the Japanese pitcher hit 102.5 mph (164 km/h) with his fastball, tying Shohei Ohtani's mark as the fastest ever recorded by an NPB pitcher (Ohtani's top speed in the majors is currently 101.4 mph = 162.24 km/h). Roki Sasaki's repertoire includes a straight, a three-pitch and a slider that he is beginning to polish, but it is his velocity that is most significant. He had given up 14 hits, including all three in the eighth, with a straight 101 mph (161 km/h). However, the highlights continued in his next start, on 17 April, when he pitched eight perfect innings against the Nippon-Ham Fighters until manager Tadahito Iguchi decided to pull him as a precaution. His numbers are so spectacular that he had a perfect game on April 10, 2022, against the Orix Buffaloes and struck out 19 in a row.
Roki in japanese full#
Japan's ninth-ranked team arrived at the World Baseball Classic with three young superstars: Munetaka Murakami, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.īut the 21-year-old pitcher is perhaps the most eye-catching talent, who had a 9-4 record with a 2.02 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 129.1 innings for the Chiba Lotte Marines in his first full season in the Japanese Pro League.
