Roki Sasaki (21, Chiba Lotte Marines) is the pitcher who throws the fastest ball in Japanese professional baseball. He relies on his fastball and forkball, but that simple combination brings Japanese batters to their knees. Because it’s so fast. A fastball in the late 150km to early 160km range, and a forkball around 150km.
Sasaki is preparing for the WBC as a member of the Japanese national team. It is expected to start against the Czech Republic on the 11th. On February 25, in a practice game against the Softbank Hawks, he shot a fastball of 169 km, which became a hot topic. However, it was an error in the broadcasting screen. The highest speed the day the Japanese national team reported to the Japanese press was 162km. I couldn’t exceed my personal best of 164km.
바카라사이트 However, in a practice match against Chunichi Dragons on the 4th, he actually broke his personal best speed. Even Shohei Ohtani (LA Angels) was like the restraint taken during his Nippon Ham Fighters days. 165 km. According to the Japanese media, it is the highest speed ever by a Japanese pitcher.
Of course, since it’s a practice game, it’s likely to be regarded as the ‘unofficial’ highest tie record. Anyway, the reaction of Japanese baseball fans was explosive. As expected, the speed war between fastball pitchers is one of the contents that most definitely catches the attention of baseball fans. It remains to be seen if Sasaki will break the 165km mark in the WBC.
In the KBO League, pitchers who easily take early to mid-150 km are appearing one after another. However, 160km still leads to the ‘Wailing Wall’. In the past, after Uhm Jung-wook filmed up to the early 160km range, it does not come out easily. There are various stories about the cause, such as training and management of pitchers.
However, there was a 160 km pitcher in the KBO League in the 2022 season. Currently, he is the best ace in the KBO League, Ahn Woo-jin (24, Kiwoom). On June 23, against Daegu Samsung, in the bottom of the 8th inning, 1 company, 1st, 3rd base, 2 pitches against Kim Hyun-jun were 160 km. When 160km was recorded on the display board of Daegu Samsung Lions Park, most of the spectators instantly became agitated.
Of course, according to Samsung’s Trackman tally, it was 159.3 km. Therefore, strictly speaking, it should be considered that An Woo-jin did not record 160 km last year. However, at this point, the pitcher closest to 160 km is Ahn Woo-jin. He was 97th at the time. His stamina is so different.
In the past, the quality of command and breaking ball was lower than expected, but now even that has risen to the top of the league. He had his best season, opening his eyes to his game management ability and pace control. Due to the school violence issue, he was not selected for the WBC national team, but it is expected to gain momentum in preparation for this season. Fatigue was higher than anyone else last year, and it is true that the WBC in March is an undesirable tournament in terms of pitcher routine and fatigue.
When the reporter covered the teams that set up a spring camp in Arizona for about three weeks from early to mid-February, Ahn Woo-jin was also faithfully improving his condition. His routine from last year, in which he threw the ball slightly later than his fellow pitchers, was also continuing. As long as you are careful about injuries, there is a good chance of actually shooting 160km.
Of course, Ahn Woo-jin said, “My goal this season is to throw the ball I want and where I want it.” Speed is still the best in the league, so command is important. However, in terms of league box office and interest, it is helpful in many ways for Ahn Woo-jin to record 160km this season. He has a solid routine of his own, so there is a good chance that he will shoot 160km in good health.