Rōki Sasaki

Rōki Sasaki (佐々木 朗希, Sasaki Rōki, born November 3, 2001), nicknamed "The Monster of the Reiwa Era" (令和の怪物, reiwa no kaibutsu) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He made his NPB debut in 2021.

Rōki Sasaki
Chiba Lotte Marines – No. 17
Pitcher
Born: (2001-11-03) November 3, 2001
Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Japan
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
NPB debut
May 16, 2021, for the Chiba Lotte Marines
Career statistics
(through April 22, 2022)
Win–loss record6–2
Earned run average1.65
Strikeouts110
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Sasaki set a new high school baseball record with a fastball recorded at 163 kilometres per hour (101 mph). The Marines chose Sasaki in the first overall selection of the 2019 NPB draft. Taking care to avoid subjecting their rookie to premature physical stresses, the Marines held back until the 2021 season before allowing him to make his NPB debut. He threw a perfect game on April 10, 2022, in which he tied the NPB record for strikeouts in one game and set a new record for consecutive strikeouts.

Early life

Sasaki is from Rikuzentakata in the Iwate Prefecture. He was in the third grade during the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake. The resulting tsunami swept away his house. His father and grandparents died, and Sasaki, his mother, and his two brothers had to live in a nursing home during the recovery.[1][2][3] The family moved to Ōfunato the next year and Sasaki began to play baseball at his new school.[2]

Amateur career

Though Sasaki was recruited by other high schools, he chose to attend Ofunato High School to remain with his teammates.[3] He was nicknamed "The Monster of the Reiwa Era" because of his 163-kilometre-per-hour (101 mph) fastball in high school,[4][5] His fastball velocity broke the high school record set by Shohei Ohtani, and Sasaki began to earn comparisons to Ohtani.[3] His nickname is a reference to Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was known as the "The Monster of the Heisei Era".[6]

Major League Baseball (MLB) teams hoped that Sasaki would pursue an MLB career, but he opted to remain with his high school team during the Japanese High School Baseball Championship.[7] Sasaki's manager rested him in the qualifying game where Ofunato was eliminated, drawing criticism.[8] Sasaki announced that he would pitch in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), declaring for the NPB draft.[3][9]

Professional career

The Chiba Lotte Marines of NPB's Pacific League selected Sasaki with the first selection in the 2019 NPB draft.[10][11] To protect his arm, the Marines did not allow Sasaki to appear in a game during the 2020 season.[2] He made his NPB debut on May 16, 2021.[12] For the 2021 season, Sasaki had a 3–2 win-loss record, a 2.27 earned run average, and 68 strikeouts in 63+1⁄3 innings pitched across 11 appearances.[1][13] Sasaki made his postseason debut for the Marines in the 2021 Pacific League Climax Series, striking out 10 batters while allowing one run in six innings, as Lotte defeated the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.[13]

Further information: Rōki Sasaki's perfect game

On April 10, 2022, Sasaki pitched a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes. It was the 16th perfect game in NPB history, the first since Hiromi Makihara's perfect game in 1994, and the 94th no-hitter in NPB history, the first since August 15, 2020.[14] Sasaki tied the NPB record set by Koji Noda for total strikeouts in one game, with 19,[15] and set a new NPB record for consecutive strikeouts, having struck out 13 batters in a row.[15] This also became a new world record, beating out the 10 consecutive strikeouts achieved in MLB by Corbin Burnes, Tom Seaver, and Aaron Nola.[16]

In his next start, on April 17, Sasaki pitched eight perfect innings against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, before getting taken out from the game before the ninth inning by manager Tadahito Iguchi to protect Sasaki's health. He recorded 14 strikeouts on 102 pitches, including striking out the side in the eighth inning with a 101 mph fastball.[17] Sasaki finished the outing having retired 52 consecutive batters, setting an NPB record. The MLB record for retiring consecutive batters is 46 by Yusmeiro Petit.[18] Sasaki allowed a hit on the first pitch that he threw in his next game, on April 24.[19]

Playing style

Sasaki listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and 188 pounds (85 kg). A right-handed pitcher[20] with a three-quarters delivery,[21] he throws a fastball topping out at 164 kilometres per hour (102 mph).[22] In his first three starts of the 2022 season, his fastball averaged 159.1 kilometres per hour (98.9 mph).[23] He also throws a forkball and a slider.[24]

References
  1. "Baseball: Marines' Roki Sasaki thankful for support after 2011 disaster". English.kyodonews.net. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  2. Jim Allen (March 11, 2021). "Sasaki poised for 1st game". jballallen.com. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  3. "Japanese teen's triple-digit fastball has some calling him the next Shohei Ohtani". Los Angeles Times. July 26, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  4. "【球界ここだけの話（１９９０）】ロッテ・佐々木朗の無限の可能性". Sanspo.com (in Japanese). June 10, 2020.
  5. "「令和の怪物」佐々木朗希が挑む最後の夏 １６３キロ右腕の潜在能力". Jiji.com (in Japanese). July 12, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  6. "平成の怪物と令和の怪物初対面　松坂大輔氏にロッテ佐々木朗希「ブルペン見た感想教わりました」". Nikkan Sports. February 11, 2022.|author=Yoshimi Kamada}}
  7. "Baseball: Highly sought Japanese high school pitcher Roki Sasaki hits 160 kph". English.kyodonews.net. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  8. "Give me a break: Japanese coach takes heat for resting ace". ABC News.
  9. "High school ace Roki Sasaki declares for NPB draft". The Japan Times. October 2, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  10. "千葉ロッテマリーンズ 選択選手一覧". Draft.npb.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  11. "Marines make high school hurler Roki Sasaki top pick in NPB amateur draft". The Japan Times. October 17, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  12. Coskrey, Jason (May 17, 2021). "Roki Sasaki makes highly anticipated NPB debut with Marines". The Japan Times. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  13. Coskrey, Jason (November 7, 2021). "'Reiwa Monster' Roki Sasaki lives up to hype in Climax Series debut". The Japan Times. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  14. "Lotte pitcher Roki Sasaki throws Japan's 16th perfect game". The Japan Times. April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  15. "Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, 20, throws 19-strikeout perfect game in record-setting performance". ESPN. April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022. Sasaki, a right-hander for the Chiba Lotte Marines, tied an NPB record with his 19 strikeouts against the Orix Buffaloes. He also struck out 13 consecutive batters at one point, a record in Japanese pro baseball, according to Kyodo News.
  16. "Roki Sasaki of Japan Strikes Out 19 in Perfect Game - The New York Times". The New York Times. April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  17. "Japanese phenom extends perfect innings streak". ESPN.com. April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  18. Axisa, Mike (April 17, 2022). "Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki throws eight perfect innings in first start after 19-strikeout perfect game". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  19. Axisa, Mike (April 24, 2022). "Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki has streak of 17 consecutive perfect innings snapped on first pitch of start". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  20. "Roki Sasaki". Npb.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  21. "専門家が徹底解剖 佐々木朗希「163キロ直球」を生かす秘策｜日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL". Nikkan-gendai.com (in Japanese). Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  22. "【ロッテ】佐々木朗希が自己最速更新の164キロをマーク ３年前の大船渡高時代に163キロ – プロ野球 : 日刊スポーツ". Nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  23. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/04/e741d27d08bf-feature-baseball-fire-baller-sasaki-quickly-fulfilling-promise.html
  24. "ロッテ・佐々木朗希、速球だけではない高度な投球術 カメラマンが捉えたその瞬間/デイリースポーツ". Daily.co.jp (in Japanese).
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