"Why are there so many people in live pitching?" Colleagues are also jaw-dropping, and about 200 people gather in Sasaki's first real game → 2 perfect innings

"Why are there so many people in live pitching?" Colleagues are also jaw-dropping, and about 200 people gather in Sasaki's first real game → 2 perfect innings

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Even though he is a rookie who hasn't thrown a single ball in the Major League, he is gaining huge popularity. Numerous people flocked to the first bullpen session for "Monster" Rocky Sasaki (24) of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Orange County Register, a U.S. media outlet, said on the 20th (Korea time) that Sasaki hosted the first live BP (Battling Practice) at this year's spring camp, and many people watched it.

At the 2025 Dodgers spring camp held at Glendale Camelback Ranch in Arizona, Sasaki pitched the game with batters set aside. Working with Will Smith, Sasaki faced off Tommy Edman, Eddie Rosario, and Miguel Rojas.
According to the Japanese media Sponichi Annex, Sasaki pitched two innings against nine hitters, mainly throwing fastballs and splitters, and also threw sliders occasionally. Except for one hit by Edman, hitters did not come out, and struck out two.

More than 30 Dodgers officials, including Japanese players Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as well as manager Dave Roberts, president Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes, watched Sasaki's pitching. More than 200 fans also applauded after Sasaki's pitching was over.

Edman joked to reporters, "I've never seen so many people live batting, and I've never seen so many people asking me to talk about live batting." "I was excited to see Sasaki's pitch at the batter's box. He has a very good fastball, and the splitter was moving a lot," he said, "Sasaki's stub will definitely work at the major league level."

"It takes courage to pitch live with more than 50 people watching," said David Bottie, who also faced Sasaki. "It showed his mental strength to show his pitching and how to do it in such a situation." He also said, "He looks strong mentally and will become a better pitcher."

After pitching, Sasaki met with reporters and said, "It was my first time, so I've been checking my senses," adding, "I threw it with a better feeling than the bullpen I've ever pitched." "I wasn't nervous," he said, "I had to deal with the batter with the Major League's official ball, and it was a long time ago, so my senses didn't come back."

Regarding the situation thrown in front of many people, Sasaki said, "More players watched from behind the catcher than I thought, but I wasn't nervous." He then responded firmly, saying, "I was just a little surprised because there were a lot of people."

Sasaki also showed adaptation to the pitch clock. "Live BP is one thing. It was my first experience today, so I was nervous about having to set the time, but I will get used to it now," he said.

Although he entered the U.S. through an overseas amateur contract, Sasaki is a player who has already shown a lot. Boasting an average fastball of 159 kilometers per hour, up to 165 kilometers per hour, and a high-speed folk ball of up to 149 kilometers per hour, Sasaki was expected to be a promising player to represent the NPB. Joining the NPB in the first round of the rookie draft in 2019, he posted a 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA in 64 games. 메이저사이트

In particular, he achieved a perfect game by striking out 19 in nine innings against the Orix Buffaloes on April 10, and was also selected for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March of the following year after posting 9 wins, 4 losses and a 2.02 ERA in 29 ⅓ innings that year.

Sasaki attempted to advance to the Major League early on. However, it was repeatedly unsuccessful as its original Chiba Lotte Marines refused to allow it. If a Japanese player under the age of 25 advances to the U.S., the team cannot receive large amounts of money because it can only sign a minor league contract. Still, the stumbling block disappeared when Chiba Lotte allowed Sasaki to post after the end of the 2024 season.

Eventually, Sasaki came to the market and was put into the hands of Dodgers for a down payment of 6.5 million U.S. dollars. With the deal, Dodgers formed a Japanese trio with Otani and Yamamoto.

The Athletic claimed, "It is certain that Sasaki has one of the best right-handers in baseball," and a Major League Baseball team official told the media, "Sasaki is not yet a finished product, but there are not many people in the world who are more talented than him." So the Dodgers even said, "Sasaki is our priority."