If you think there is only Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels), the ‘king of the end of the two sword style’, you can seriously hurt your nose. Right-hander Young Gun Sasaki Rocky (22, Chiba Lotte Marines) is gaining explosive interest by putting a 160 km/h ‘light speed ball’ in practice matches.
According to Japan’s Daily Sports, Sasaki started a practice match against the Yakult Swallows held at Itoman Baseball Stadium in Okinawa Prefecture on the 15th, and pitched a good pitch with 1 hit and 5 strikeouts in 2 innings. The highest velocity is 160km fastball. He threw 29 pitches, mixing sliders and forkballs.
Even Munetaka Murakami (23, Yakult Swallows), who set the record for most Japanese with 56 homers last year, was beaten without a hitch.
Sasaki, who overpowered the batters with ‘KKK’ from the first inning, also struck out with a quick ball against Murakami, who appeared as the first batter in the second inning. He gave up a hit to Hideki Nagaoka, but Sasaki, who later cleaned up the two batters, finished the pitch that day.
Last week, he threw a 160km fastball in bullpen pitching and attracted attention, and he was by far the best star in this practice match. 먹튀검증
According to Daily Sports, after the game, Sasaki said, “For the first game, I was well balanced and threw consistently, including the curveball. It’s not the best yet, but it’s better than last year’s practice game.”
He did not give himself 100 points even though he delivered perfect pitches, such as catching Japan’s top hitter with a 160km/h fastball. No wonder Sasaki is one of the most notable monster pitchers in Japan. He recorded the highest velocity of 164 km, and in April of last year, he completed a perfect game in which no one was allowed to go on base against the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). At the time he was 20 years old and 5 months old, he became the youngest perfect game record holder in Japan.
Through Murakami’s reaction, you can indirectly experience Sasaki’s powerful ball. According to Nikkan Sports, Murakami was deeply impressed when he saw the 160 km/h ball and said, “I thought it was over.”
Japan is evaluated to be a strong opponent of the United States in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Japan, which is also a two-time championship champion, boasts an impeccable starting lineup, especially starting with Ohtani, Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Orix), and Sasaki.
Korea also clashes with Japan. Japan will play the first match of the first round of the WBC against China on the 9th of next month. We will play against Korea on the 10th.