The ‘165-kilometer monster’ returns.
Fastball pitcher Roki Sasaki (21, Chiba Rode) will return from injury to pitch against SoftBank at PayPal Dome on Monday.
It will be his first start in 23 days, since the last five days. On that occasion, Sasaki was forced to leave the game early after throwing five innings due to a blister on his right middle finger.
Sasaki will make his return from injury on Aug. 28. Photo via Chiba Lotte website
Chiba Lotte announced that the blister wasn’t completely gone, but that the change was made out of concern for the blister, which raised other questions about the long absence.
Some media outlets questioned whether she had injuries other than the blisters.
However, his return after 23 days proved otherwise.
He is expected to be limited to 80 pitches today. It is expected that he is still carrying the burden of the blister.
All eyes will be on how many innings Sasaki can go with 80 pitches.
On April 6 against Nippon Ham, Sasaki went a whopping six innings on 80 pitches. He’s thrown well over 15 pitches per inning, which is considered an ideal number.
It will be interesting to see if he can go six innings with 80 pitches. If Sasaki can go six innings on 80 pitches, Chiba Lotte will have a better chance of winning.
Sasaki has started five games this season, going 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA.
In total, he has thrown 32 innings, allowing 13 hits (no home runs), 50 strikeouts, five walks, and three runs.메이저사이트
His BABIP is just 0.124 and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is a whopping 10.00. His WHIP is also very low at 0.56. These numbers prove that Sasaki has pitched nearly flawlessly when he hasn’t been sick.
The most important checkpoint will be how many innings Sasaki can go with his 80-pitch limit, as it will be important to see if he can recreate the power he had before his injury.