Tsunami survivor Sasaki wants to repay support in Dodgers debut
Sasaki joined the World Series champion Dodgers in January and he is set to play against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday as the two teams open the new Major League Baseball season at the Tokyo Dome with a two-game series.
"Even when things haven't been going smoothly in my career, those people have supported me with the same passion and energy," Sasaki said on Sunday in Tokyo.
"I want to repay them with my performance."
The 23-year-old's debut comes 14 years after his hometown of Rikuzentakata was virtually wiped off the map when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake sent huge waves barrelling towards Japan's coast.
Sasaki's house was washed away and both of his paternal grandparents and his father, Kota, were killed.
Sasaki went on to become one of Japanese baseball's best young talents and news that he would leave for MLB sparked a bidding frenzy around the league.
Now Sasaki, who is set to take the mound for Game 2 of the series against the Cubs, will dedicate his Dodgers debut to the people who have helped him along the way.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that he would let the pitcher deal with the occasion on his own terms.
"I think that Roki understands how important this moment is for him, his family, the Japanese people," said Roberts.
"I don't want to add to the pressure. Sometimes I just like to let it play out and that's what I'm going to do."
Sasaki is no stranger to the Tokyo Dome and was part of the Japan team that played there on the way to winning the World Baseball Classic in 2023.
That included playing as Japan's starting pitcher on the 12-year anniversary of the disaster that upended his life.
Familiar surroundings
Sasaki said he was looking forward to playing at the Tokyo Dome again and wants "to make the most of it and really enjoy the experience".
"Playing in MLB is something that I've been looking forward to since I was in school, so to be able to make my debut in the Tokyo Dome is something that my high school self would be very surprised at," he said.
The Dodgers have played two warm-up games against Japanese teams since arriving in Tokyo.
Slugger Shohei Ohtani has been the centre of attention, with thousands of fans paying just to watch the Japanese superstar practice.
Sasaki had a front-row seat when Ohtani hit a monster home run in front of a sold-out crowd on Saturday.
The games have been played in "a great atmosphere" so far, Sasaki said.
"I'm just trying to make sure that there aren't any things left that I'm uncomfortable with so that I can concentrate on the game," he added.
Sasaki's Japanese team-mate Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the Dodgers' starting pitcher in Game 1 of the series on Tuesday.
Yamamoto is in his second season with the Dodgers and helped them win the World Series at the first time of asking.
"I haven't received any particular advice from anyone but this is Japan, so the environment and atmosphere is something that I'm used to," Sasaki said.
"I want to take advantage of that and prepare myself well."