Rōki Sasaki, a Japanese star pitcher, is set to be posted to MLB by the NPB Chiba Lotte Marines
"Ever since he joined the team, we have heard from him that he dreamed of playing in America. After making a comprehensive judgment over the past five years, we have decided to respect his wish. We hope he will do his best as a representative of Japan. We are rooting for him."
Sasaki, 23, is widely regarded as one of the best pitchers in the world. Armed with a four-seam fastball that routinely hits triple digits, a nosediving splitter and a slider, the 6'4" righthander dominated hitters in Japan to the tune of a 2.02 ERA and 524 strikeouts in 414 2/3 innings pitched. Then, MLB hitters got their first taste of facing Sasaki in the spring of 2023 during the World Baseball Classic, which Sasaki's native Japan won.Sasaki wowed fans with his fastball-splitter combo, making two starts for Japan and compiling a 1-0 record with 11 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings pitched.
"I am very grateful to the team for officially allowing me to post," Sasaki said in a statement. "There were many things that did not go well during my five years with the Marines, but I was able to get to this point by concentrating only on baseball, with the support of my teammates, staff, front office, and fans.
"I will do my best to work my way up from my minor contract to become the best player in the world, so that I will have no regrets in my one and only baseball career and live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me."Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage.
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