Los Angeles Dodgers’ Pitcher Sasaki Encourages Kids in Noto Through Baseball

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:43 JST, December 8, 2025

SUZU, Ishikawa — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki visited Suzu in Ishikawa Prefecture to put on a baseball clinic to children on Sunday. Suzu was severely hit by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

The 24-year-old Japanese star, who experienced the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, encouraged the children at the lesson, saying, “I know [the area] is still recovering, but I want to keep pushing forward together with all of you.”

Sasaki lost his father and grandparents in the tsunami, which swept away his home in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, when he was in the third grade of elementary school. He was encouraged by professional baseball players who came to visit and offer support. He wondered if there was something that could be done for the Noto region and came up with the idea for the baseball lesson.

On Sunday, Sasaki interacted with about 170 children, mainly elementary school students, from the Noto region at Suzu’s municipal baseball stadium. He taught the children alongside pitcher Shuta Takano, 27, of the Chiba Lotte Marines

. He handed out autographed balls to each child and offered advice on pitching techniques. When Sasaki demonstrated his long toss, loud cheers echoed throughout the stadium.

During a question-and-answer session, a young player asked, “How can I throw a fast ball?” Sasaki replied, “Right now, it’s important to eat well, get plenty of sleep and build your body.” A 9-year-old third grader from Suzu who attended the event said happily, “It felt like a dream because I always see him on TV.”

In his first year after transferring this season, Sasaki helped the Dodgers win the World Series title, their second in a row.

“Interacting with the children in Noto for the first time gave me tremendous energy,” he said.