Japanese Star Roki Sasaki Pitches Seven Strong Innings as His Future in MLB Comes into Focus

The Associated Press

13:10 JST, August 31, 2024

TOKYO (AP) — It’s not clear if pitcher Roki Sasaki — the next big thing out of Japanese baseball — will move to Major League Baseball next season.

He turns 23 in early November and his fate is in the hands of his Japanese club Chiba Lotte Marines. And of course, it will come down to money.

But on Friday, despite arm issues earlier in the year and a slight drop in velocity and strikeouts this season, he’s showed he’s ready to follow Japanese stars like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Major League Baseball.

He pitched seven strong innings with seven strikeouts, three hits and two walks and no runs as the Marines defeated the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 6-2. SoftBank has the best record in Japanese baseball this season.

Going into Friday he had pitched 77 innings with a 2.45 ERA, 91 strikeouts, 25 walks and two home runs. The big question is if this slight drop in performance will delay him from being posted to MLB when the Japanese season ends.

Sasaki’s right-arm issues have been described in Japan as fatigue, which has limited his innings. His velocity is down slightly this season after missing about two months with arm soreness.

Sasaki’s Japanese team Chiba Lotte will ultimately decide when he plays in MLB. A player under the age of 25 who is posted by a Japanese team is subject to international signing rules, which could limit his bonus. A player over 25 with six seasons of playing time in Japan could land a more lucrative deal.

Reports in Japan suggest that Sasaki, who before the season began suggested he hoped to move on when the season ends, may now be having second thoughts.