Sasaki set a new Japanese high school baseball record with a fastball recorded at 163 kilometres per hour (101 mph). The Marines chose Sasaki in the first overall selection of the 2019 NPB draft. Taking care to avoid subjecting their rookie to premature physical stresses, the Marines held back until the 2021 season before allowing him to make his NPB debut. He threw a perfect game on April 10, 2022, in which he tied the NPB record for strikeouts in one game and set a new record for consecutive strikeouts.
Though Sasaki was recruited by other high schools, he chose to attend Ofunato High School to remain with his teammates.[6] He was nicknamed "the Monster of the Reiwa Era" (Reiwa no Kaibutsu令和の怪物) because of his 163-kilometre-per-hour (101 mph) fastball in high school.[7][8] His fastball velocity broke the Japanese high school record set by Shohei Ohtani, and Sasaki began to earn comparisons to Ohtani.[6] His nickname is a reference to Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was known as "the Monster of the Heisei Era".[9]
On April 10, 2022, Sasaki pitched a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes. It was the 16th perfect game in NPB history, the first since Hiromi Makihara's perfect game in 1994, and the 94th no-hitter in NPB history, the first since August 15, 2020.[18] Sasaki tied the NPB record set by Koji Noda for total strikeouts in one game, with 19,[19] and set a new NPB record for consecutive strikeouts, having struck out 13 batters in a row.[19] This also became a new world record, beating out the 10 consecutive strikeouts achieved in MLB by Corbin Burnes, Tom Seaver, and Aaron Nola.[20]
In his next start, on April 17, Sasaki pitched eight perfect innings against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, before getting taken out from the game before the ninth inning by manager Tadahito Iguchi to protect Sasaki's health. He recorded 14 strikeouts on 102 pitches, including striking out the side in the eighth inning with a 101 mph fastball.[21] Sasaki finished the outing having retired 52 consecutive batters, setting an NPB record. The MLB record for retiring consecutive batters is 46 by Yusmeiro Petit.[22] Sasaki allowed a hit on the first pitch that he threw in his next game, on April 24.[23] He finished the season 9–4 with a 2.02 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 129+1⁄3 innings pitched.[24]
On April 28, 2023, Sasaki threw 4 pitches at a speed of 165 km/h (102.5 mph), which tied the record held by Shohei Ohtani for the fastest pitch by a Japanese player in NPB history.[25]
Sasaki pitched for the Japanese national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC).[27] He made his first start of the competition on March 11 against the Czech Republic, pitching 3+2⁄3 innings while giving up two hits, an unearned run, two walks, and recording eight strikeouts.[28] On March 20, he started in Japan's WBC semifinal game against Mexico, pitching for four innings while giving up five hits, three runs, and recording three strikeouts.[29] He finished the tournament at 1–0 with a 3.52 ERA and 11 strikeouts across 7+2⁄3 innings, receiving a gold medal in Japan's championship victory over the United States.[30]
Sasaki's performance in the 2023 WBC received international media attention. In his start against Mexico, his average four-seam fastball velocity was 100.5 miles per hour (161.7 km/h) and topped out at 101.9 miles per hour (164.0 km/h). His split-finger fastball averaged 91.2 miles per hour (146.8 km/h) and generated 31.4 inches (800 mm) of vertical break.[31] Three Major League Baseball executives compared Sasaki's abilities at age 21 to those of Stephen Strasburg, who was selected first overall in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft and was considered one of the most anticipated prospects in the league's history.[32][33]
Playing style
Sasaki is listed at 6 ft 4 in (1.92 m) and 203 pounds (92 kg).[34] A right-handed pitcher with a three-quarters delivery,[35] he throws a fastball topping out at 165 kilometres per hour (102.5 mph).[36] In the 2022 season, his fastball averaged 158.3 kilometres per hour (98.4 mph) as a starter.[37] He also throws a forkball, a curveball, and a slider.[38][39] The forkball is the best off-speed pitch in his arsenal.[40][41]
.jpg)
