Ohtani Shohei (29, LA Angels), who played a big role in pitching and played an active role that seemed to come out of a cartoon, was the sole lead in Japan’s 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship.
However, there was a ‘supernova’ that received as much attention as that. It is Rocky Sasaki (22, Chiba Lotte) who throws a fiery fastball with a maximum speed of 165km and a forkball that exceeds 150km.
Already catching the attention of the American Major League (MLB), attention is focused on how far he will develop. Darvish Yu (37, San Diego Padres), who directly informed him of the new pitch, was also surprised to see his talent.
On the 30th, Japan’s Nikkan Gendai revealed an anecdote between Darvish and Sasaki during the preparation period for the 2023 WBC, saying, “Sasaki, who started in two games, including the semi-final against Mexico in the WBC, surprised Japanese players.” 바카라사이트
According to the media, on the first day of field training in Miyazaki, Japan, Darvish taught Sasaki a sharp, curved slider. Technically, he described it as a ‘sweeper’ rather than a slider. This pitch has recently become the most popular in MLB. It is a slider type ball with great lateral movement.
Ohtani is also on a winning streak with this type of pitch. The WBC also had fun with this weapon. The ball that struck out Mike Trout, one of the best hitters in the world, after taking the mound as a closer in the bottom of the ninth inning with a one-run lead with the U.S., was also a sweeper that quickly bent outward and ran away.