Above Jacob deGrom”, “Jack Greinke’s level”
Sasaki Loki and Yamamoto Yoshinobu held a match between Chiba Lotte Marines and Orix Buffaloes held at ZOZO Marine Stadium in Chiba스포츠토토, Japan on the 14th (hereinafter Korean time) Each started in the first game of the season between the teams. The confrontation between the two players representing Japanese professional baseball was spotlighted.
A confrontation between a ‘genius’ and a ‘monster’. The match was covered. Based on a fastball of up to 164 km and a forkball of 149 km, Sasaki pitched ‘perfect’ up to 2 out in 6 innings, 105 pitches, 1 hit, 11 strikeouts, 2 walks and no runs in 7 innings. succeded.
Sasaki laughed, but Yamamoto didn’t. Yamamoto threw 101 pitches in 6 innings, 5 hits, 9 strikeouts, 1 walk, 1 run (1 earned run) in 6 innings based on a fast ball of up to 156 km, and pitched a quality start (6 innings, 3 earned or less), but the other line was completely lost to Sasaki. As they were blocked, they suffered the yoke of defeat.
In the ‘historic confrontation’ between Sasaki and Yamamoto, ZOZO Marine Stadium was filled with major league scouts such as the New York Yankees and LA Dodgers. Japan’s Sponichi Annex said on the 15th, “Scouts from more than 10 major league teams have gathered to see the match between Sasaki, who is sure to enter the major league in the future, and Yamamoto, who will cross the sea this offseason at the earliest.”
According to ‘Sponichi Annex’, an American League scout said, “What all teams wanted to check at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the adaptability of the Major League official ball. Incidentally, the change when playing the Major League official ball in an American stadium. Sasaki and Yamamoto. All of them showed that there was no problem,” he praised.
Sasaki and Yamamoto pitched in the WBC quarterfinals (semifinal) against Mexico, respectively, and fought back with 3 runs in 4 innings (3 earned) and 2 runs in 3⅓ innings (2 earned), laying the foundation for the Japanese national team to advance to the final. At the time, the pitching of Sasaki and Yamamoto left a deep impression on major league scouts. According to the media, the scout said, “The evaluation has increased with that one game.”
Good reviews for them continued. Dylan Hernandez of the ‘LA Times’ said, “An American League general manager said of Sasaki, ‘His fastball is the best in the world. He may be better than Jacob deGrom (Texas Rangers).’ “It was at the level of Jack Greinke (Kansas City Royals),” he said.
Then, if they step on the major league stage, how big will it be? Hernandez of ‘LA Times’ forecasted Yamamoto at ‘6 years, 150 million dollars (approximately 196 billion won)’, and Peter Abram of ‘Boston Grove’ said of Sasaki, “A 10-year contract may be offered. 25 to 30 million dollars (approximately 32.6 to 39.2 billion won),” he predicted.