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Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Japan’s Roki Sasaki fires a pitch during a World Baseball Classic game against the Czech Republic at Tokyo Dome on March 11, 2023.
The Japan News
20:00 JST, November 9, 2024
Answering one of the biggest questions of the postseason, the Chiba Lotte Marines announced Saturday that they will let ace pitcher Roki Sasaki make a move to the major leagues through the posting system.
Sasaki, widely regarded as one of top pitchers in the world, made it clear at the end of the 2023 season that he intended to eventually make the jump across the Pacific, and Lotte decided to now give its consent while it could gain compensation for losing its biggest star.
“I will work hard to become the best player in the world, starting from a minor league contract, so that I don’t have any regrets in my one and only baseball career, and so that I can meet the expectations of everyone who has given me 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. A first-round draft pick in 2019 out of Ofunato High School in Iwate Prefecture, he 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-hander Sasaki claimed a place in Japan pro baseball history when he tossed a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes — the first in Japan since 1994 and the 16th overall. He did it at the record-setting age of 20 years 5 months and tied the single-game record of 19 strikeouts — including a record 13 in a row.
Marines manager Masato Yoshii, who himself pitched in the major leagues, said he understands Sasaki’s desire to test his skills overseas.
“It’s very painful [for the team], but I’ve also played in the United States, so I know exactly how he feels,” Yoshii said in a statement released by the team. “To be honest, there are still some unfinished aspects to him, but I also think that he can continue to improve and will raise his level in America.”
According to ESPN, Sasaki may be leaving a great deal of money on the table by heading to the major leagues now, instead of waiting until he turns 25. At his current age, Sasaki is regarded as an international amateur free agent and can only sign a minor league contract. It will also limit how much Lotte receives from the 20% posting fee.
In contrast, ESPN pointed out, Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after waiting until he was over 25 and had six years of experience in the Japan leagues.
Sasaki, who was born in 2001 in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, lost his father and grandparents in the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. Last year, pitching on the 12th anniversary of the earthquake, he defeated the Czech Republic in a World Baseball Classic game at Tokyo Dome.
