165km-long monster Sasaki canceled it again five days after returning to the first team

Chiba Lotte announced on Tuesday that it had removed Sasaki from the entry list for the first team. “Since taking the mound on Tuesday, we have judged that the right upper extremity (the arm between the shoulder and wrist) is not in good condition,” the club said. 메이저놀이터

Sasaki is the most talented player in Japanese baseball, which is drawing attention from the U.S. Major League Baseball as well. Having joined Chiba Lotte as the top draft pick in 2019, he only appeared in the main league in 2021 under strict supervision of his club.

In 2021, the first year since his debut in the main league, Sasaki had three wins and two losses with an ERA of 2.27, and exploded in potential with nine wins and four losses with an ERA of 2.02 in 20 games in 2022. For the first time, he pitched more than 100 innings (129 ⅓) and struck out 173 times. In a match against the Orix Buffaloes on April 10 that year, he even became the youngest player to play perfect games for NPB.

Sasaki was selected as a member of the Japanese national team at the World Baseball Classic in March last year, and displayed his true value on the world stage. He pitched in two games with one win and an earned run average of 3.52 and 11 strikeouts in seven ⅔ innings, helping Japan win the WBC title. After returning to Japan, Sasaki continued strides by setting a tie for the highest speed limit (165 km/h) held by Shohei Ohtani.

However, durability has hampered Sasaki’s performance. He only played 91 innings in 15 games due to blisters, fever and side injuries. His outstanding performance with seven wins and four losses, 1.78 ERA and 135 strikeouts also faded due to lack of innings prescribed.

Since the end of the 2023 season, Sasaki has also been at the center of the attention, causing controversy over his advance to the U.S.S. Sasaki has continued to show off his skills this year, winning five games and losing two, with an ERA of 1.96 and striking out 70 in 59 ⅔.

However, Sasaki was injured again this year. His upper body fatigue was slow to recover, and he was removed from the first division to protect the players. Sasaki returned to the first division on May 8 after taking a break, and started the game against Hiroshima Toyo Karp and garnered five wins this season by allowing three hits, nine strikeouts, and one run (non-earning) in six innings. However, his condition deteriorated again after the game, and he eventually came out of the team’s roster again five days after his return.