Chiba Lotte’s ‘perfect pitcher’ Loki Sasaki, who had a poor second half due to injury, was announced as the starting pitcher for the first game of the Climax Series. Sasaki, who failed to win even one game due to injury and COVID-19 in the second half of the season, checked his final condition through bullpen pitching.스포츠토토
According to Japanese media, Sasaki participated in team training held at ZOZO Marine Stadium on the 12th and threw 21 bullpen pitches. Pitching coach Kuroki said, “I am preparing to pitch in the Climax Series. “In those situations, he’s making adjustments,” he said.
Sasaki also did bullpen pitching on the 9th. He didn’t throw with all his might at the time. Coach Kuroki said, “The pitching was about checking the physical condition and the ball’s trajectory and rotation as a whole. “It wasn’t 100%, but I threw it with a good feeling,” he said.
Chiba Lotte coach Makoto Yoshii announced at the Climax Series First Stage press conference held on the 13th, “The starter for the first game is Loki Sasaki.”
Coach Yoshii said, “I decided he could throw because his condition was gradually improving. Due to team circumstances, there was a shortage of starting pitchers, so Sasaki came back to life just in time. “I want him to pitch for as long as possible,” he said. It has been about a month since he pitched in practice.
Sasaki took about three weeks off in May due to a finger blister, but by the end of July, he had 7 wins, 2 losses, and an ERA of 1.48 in 13 games, with 130 strikeouts. He continued pitching,
but left the team with a side injury after allowing 1 run in 6 innings in the game against Softbank on July 24. Although he was diagnosed with a 2-month pre-existing condition, Sasaki recovered quickly and underwent smooth rehabilitation and returned after 48 days.
In his return game against Orix on September 10, he threw a fastball as high as 161km, but ended up being the losing pitcher after allowing 1 run in 3 innings. On September 17, he lost again in the Seibu match, allowing 3 runs in 3 innings. On September 24, he lost against Softbank
. Ahead of his starting pitching appearance, his pitching was canceled due to high fever. He was expunged from the entry list due to COVID-19 infection. Ultimately, he was unable to pitch in subsequent games and the regular season ended. Sasaki recorded 7 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 1.78 in 15 games this season
. He pitched 91 innings and recorded 135 strikeouts. Although he left the league due to injury, he ranked 4th in strikeouts in the league. Chiba
Lotte won against Rakuten in the final game of the regular season and dramatically took second place, beating Softbank by 1 margin in winning percentage. Chiba Lotte will play the Climax Series First Stage (best of 3) against Softbank at ZOZO Marine Stadium on the 14th. Attention is focused on whether Sasaki will make up for the disappointment of the
regular season by appearing in the Climax Series in good health.