Japan’s “monster pitcher” Roki Sasaki threw a fastball up to 162 mph in his final appearance in an exhibition game.
Sasaki, of the Chiba Lotte Marines, took the mound against the Junichi Dragons in an exhibition game at the Banterin Dome in Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday.
It was Sasaki’s last full practice start before the start of the regular season. Against the Junichi lineup, Sasaki touched 158 kilometers per hour on his first pitch to the leadoff batter in the bottom of the first inning. He topped out at 159 mph on a fastball to the No. 2 hitter, then touched 162 mph on a four-pitch offering to the No. 9 hitter with two outs in the third inning. It was Sasaki’s highest velocity since the start of this exhibition game.
In his two previous starts, 토토사이트 Sasaki had gone 1-1 with four runs on 10 hits and four walks in seven innings, but hadn’t been able to generate much offense. However, in his final exhibition start, he regained his command, power, and velocity, putting him on target for the start of the season.
Sasaki completed a complete game shutout in Junichi, throwing 60 pitches in five innings, allowing two hits, five walks, and no runs with no strikeouts.
This season is a big one for Sasaki.
After the end of last season, he had talks with his club, Chiba Lotte, about a major league post, but the club didn’t want to move forward.
Sasaki is one of the fastest pitchers in Japan with a fastball that reaches over 160 kilometers, and he even threw a “perfect game” in 2022. Major League Baseball has also taken an early interest in him.
But he also faces the challenge of proving his durability. He hasn”t pitched a full regulation inning since his professional debut. He hasn’t even won 10 games. Injuries, big and small, have kept him from pitching full-time, and even last year, he went 7-4 with a 1.78 ERA in 15 games and 91 innings.
With speculation that Sasaki will seek a major league deal after this season, he’ll need to show a definite step up this season. 파워볼게임 For now, it looks like he’s ready to go.