Tonight, the one who is considered by many to be the best pitcher not to pitch in MLB will automatically start the game for Japan at the World Classic. The Japanese will face the Mexicans at 7 p.m. to try to earn a place in the final against the Americans.
Roki Sasaki, 21, is the Japanese phenomenon of the moment. After all, his fastball regularly hits the symbolic 100 MPH mark, despite his very young age.
Today’s game is special because it will be his debut on North American soil. Yes, the Classic allows these kinds of events to happen to the delight of many fans around the world!
Impressive numbers
The 6-foot-4, 203-pound player has better stats than his compatriots Ohtani, Tanaka and Darvish at the same age, that’s to say!
Last year, at just 20 years old, in his first full season with his Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Marines team, he went 9-4 with a 2.02 earned run average. In 129.1 innings, he struck out 173 batters, walked just 23 and allowed just seven home runs.
Ah yes, last April, still during the year of his 20th birthday, he also threw a perfect game in just 105 offerings. He struck out 19 batters in that perfect game. He would no doubt have repeated the feat in his next game, however, he was pulled from the game after eight perfect innings of work in order to rest his arm.
A resilient young man
When he was only nine years old, Sasaki tragically lost his father and paternal grandparents. On March 11, 2011, a tsunami hit Japan, killing 20,000 people, including Sasaki’s family.
On March 11, the Japanese threw for his team against the Czech Republic. He launched an inspired and inspiring game, on this day of national mourning for his country.
The dream of launching in America
Like most of his compatriots, Sasaki dreams of pitching for the best baseball league in the world. However, he prefers to wait until he is 25, in order to become totally free, rather than submit to the international draft process. This option would therefore lead him to the land of Uncle Sam, or to the Queen City, in the 2026 season.
It is certain that each of the 30 clubs would like to welcome a player of Sasaki’s caliber with open arms. Several Japanese players have been offered the jackpot recently and the Marines player will not escape it.
Ohtani arrived in 2018. Seiya Suzuki signed for $85 million with the Cubs ahead of the 2022 season. Masataka Yoshida signed for $90 million with the Red Sox and will make his debut in the show very soon.
Next year it will be pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s turn to break the bank on the other continent. Speaking of the latter, he’ll most likely see some action, either today taking over from Sasaki, or tomorrow if Japan win tonight. Until then, let’s marvel at Roki Sasaki’s prowess tonight.
- Otto Lopez has a good chance of cracking the Blue Jays roster.
- Randy Arozarena is ready. He wants to win.
- Shohei Ohtani in action. He should no longer throw during the tournament, but anything is possible.
- Has Jose Berrios learned from his tough Classic outing?
