Last Sunday, we went to Kyocera Dome Osaka to watch the NPB, Orix Buffaloes and Chiba Lotte Marines. I wanted to see the right-hander Roki Sasaki who pitches for the Marines. He was picked in the first round of the draft in 2019 and pitched just 11 games before the 2022 season. He is the top prospect, because he can throw a fast ball, over 100 mph and a high speed forkball. On the other hand, he is not so strong enough to keep up a high performance over the long season. So, the Marines decided to give him time to build up his strength. So far, he pitched every Sunday and finally he recorded a perfect game with 19 strikeouts on 10th April. He also had eight perfect innings in the next game on 17th April, but he was pulled after 100 pitches. Last Sunday, he had bad control and allowed six hits, three walks, hit two batters. He gave up two runs in five innings. Still, his team won, 6-3 and he got his third win. His pitching was not good last game, but I’m sure he is the best pitcher in Japan right now. I’m looking forward to seeing how his season turns out. I heard some MLB teams interested in him thanks to his high performance pitching. I think he will try to play in the Major leagues in the future.
