He drew headlines for delivering an apology and candy to a batter he’d hit in the knee with ... come after for Sasaki; its echoes can be seen in his rise through the Japanese high school ranks ...

Sasaki has a high-upside fastball that averaged 96.8 mph in 2024 and touched 102 mph earlier in his career. His most dangerous pitch, though, might be his splitter. Sasaki produced a 57.1 percent ...