Japan’s Roki Sasaki fires a pitch during a World Baseball Classic game against the Czech Republic at Tokyo Dome on March 11, 2023.
20:00 JST, November 9, 2024
In response to one of the biggest questions of the postseason, the Chiba Lotte Marines announced Saturday that they will allow top pitcher Roki Sasaki to make a move to the major leagues via the postal system.
Sasaki, widely regarded as one of the best throwers in the world, made it clear at the end of the 2023 season that he intended to eventually make the leap across the Pacific, and Lotte decided to consent now while it could receive compensation for the loss. its biggest star.
“I will work hard to become the best player in the world, starting with a minor league contract, so that I have no regrets about my one and only baseball career and so that I can live up to the expectations of everyone who has. I have received support this time,” Sasaki said in a statement released by the Marines.
This past season, the 23-year-old Sasaki compiled a 10-5 record in 18 starts, with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. He was a first-round draft pick in 2019 out of Ofunato High School in Iwate Prefecture and has a career record of 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA in 64 appearances over four seasons, with 505 strikeouts and 88 walks.
In April 2022, the right-handed Sasaki claimed a place in Japan’s professional baseball history when he pitched a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes – the first in Japan since 1994 and 16th overall. He did so at the record age of 20 years and 5 months and tied the record of 19 strikeouts in a single game, including a record of 13 in a row.
Navy manager Masato Yoshii, who pitched in the major leagues himself, said he understands Sasaki’s desire to test his skills abroad.
“It’s very painful [for the team]but I also played in the United States, so I know exactly how he feels,” Yoshii said in a statement released by the team. “Honestly, there are still some unfinished aspects with him, but I also think he can continue improve and raise its level in America.”
According to ESPN, Sasaki may be leaving a lot of money on the table by heading to the big leagues now instead of waiting until he turns 25. At his current age, Sasaki is considered an international amateur free agent and can only sign a minor league contract. It also limits how much Lotte receives from the 20% postal fee.
In contrast, ESPN noted that Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12-year contract worth $325 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers after waiting until he was over 25 and had six years of experience in the Japanese leagues.
Born in 2001 in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, Sasaki lost his father and grandparents in the Greater East Japan earthquake in March 2011. Last year, throwing on the 12th anniversary of the earthquake, he defeated the Czech Republic in a World Baseball Classic. match at Tokyo Dome.
