I’ve been out for over two months, my personal best ‘9 wins’…”KKKKKKKKKK” Sasaki strikeout show also shook its head

“Perfect monster” Rocky Sasaki (Chiba Lotte Marines) got his hands on the most personal tie of “nine wins” despite having a break of more than two months due to a minor injury.

Sasaki started against the Seibu Lions in the 2024 Major League Baseball at ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on the 22nd (Korea time), and won his ninth win of the season with 107 pitches, four hits, one walk, 10 strikeouts and two runs (one earned) in seven innings. 안전놀이터
Sasaki, who took the mound against Seibu in the previous game but lost the game by allowing four runs (three earned) in six innings due to “headshot” issues, recovered his disappointment in the face-off match against Seibu again. He never threw a fastball over 160 kilometers, and had bad luck not getting help from defense starting in the first inning, but he was a monster. Despite a hiatus of more than two months, he has secured his ninth win, his personal best tie.

In the first inning, Sasaki started the inning by catching both Hasegawa Shinya and Kenda Sosuke, the first batters, with ground balls to the shortstop. However, at a time when he allowed a stolen base after walking Manaya Nishikawa, he was hit with a 158-km fastball by Ryusei Sato, and had a timely hit. Sasaki, who failed to stabilize afterwards, was hit by a double by Daizu Nomura, leading to a crisis of second and third bases.

At this time, the situation continued without the assistance of defense. He threw a forkball for the second time in a showdown with Shuta Tonosaki, but catcher Toshiya Sato wasted no time allowing a third baseman to score, recording his second run. Still, Sasaki was no longer shaky, and he struck out Tonosaki to end the inning without additional runs. Sasaki’s pitch was impeccable afterward.

After catching Yamanobe Kakeru with a catcher foul fly in the second inning, Sasiki struck out Yuto Koga and Natsuo Takizawa with sliders to create his first three-out inning, and cruised through the third inning by perfectly cooking Seibu’s top batters. In the fourth inning, he struck out Sato with sliders and Nomura with a 159-km fastball, then tied Tonosaki with a foul fly to the third baseman, continuing his pitching. He also silenced the Seibu batters without any significant crisis in the fifth inning, securing the winning requirements.

Sasaki also showed a nail in the sixth inning based on the number of pitches he pitched, and started the inning with a hit by the leadoff hitter, but there were no runs this time. He also took the mound in the seventh inning, struck out Tonosaki with a 135-km fork ball, struck out Yamanobe with a fly ball to right field, and struck out pinch hitter Hiyu Motoyama with a 142km fork ball to complete a quality start+ (three earned runs or less in seven innings).

Based on Sasaki’s first 10-strikeout game in about two months, Chiba Lotte defeated Seibu 7-2 and widened the gap with the Pacific League’s fourth-place Rakuten Golden Eagles to 2.5 games, raising the possibility of advancing to the postseason, and Sasaki won his ninth personal tie, the same as the previous 2022 season when he achieved a perfect game.

According to Japan’s Sponichi Annex, Sasaki said after the game, “There were many games this year with the help of the fielders. Thanks to this, I was able to win nine games. I will make sure to win the next game on my own,” and emphasized, “I will make sure that the team wins first because it can not only help double-digit wins but also help the team rank.”

On the day, Sasaki focused mainly on sliders without breaking fastballs, and displayed effective pitching. “I didn’t look like this in the first inning, but I pitched well until the seventh inning,” manager Masato Yoshii said, using the expression “growth” when it comes to breaking balls. “Personally, I’m not satisfied. To put it in a bad way, I’m just deceiving him. We have to fix this in the offseason.”

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