Did you give up against the Dodgers manager? There's no problem with the 165km monster coming out on the WBC

Did you give up against the Dodgers manager? There's no problem with the 165km monster coming out on the WBC
사사키 로키. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn ImagesYonhap News



Is Dave Roberts' hard-line opposition useless. U.S. journalists reported that Roki Sasaki is likely to participate in the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

Major League reporter Francis Romero threw up his SNS on the 9th (Korea time), saying, "Sasaki is included in the reserve list of the Japanese national team for the WBC. Sources say the 24-year-old pitcher is not expected to have any problems getting into the final entry`Sasaki is very likely to play in the WBC. It is expected that he heard the news at the Major League Winter Meeting currently underway in Orlando, Florida.

It's rather unexpected news. While the pressing concern is which major leaguers will play on behalf of their home countries at the WBC in March next year, only one major leaguer, Shohei Ohtani (LA Dodgers), has officially announced his participation in the WBC in the Japanese national team. The rest of the players are making final adjustments according to their team or their physical condition.




In particular, Sasaki, who is also Ohtani's teammate, predicted that playing in the WBC would not be easy. In addition to Ohtani and Sasaki, the Dodgers have Yamamoto Yoshinobu, who became the team's 'Ace' this season. All three players should also play a key role in the Japanese national team, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has expressed reluctance to participate in the WBC.

Did you give up against the Dodgers manager? There's no problem with the 165km monster coming out on the WBC
(from left) Shohei Otani-Yamamoto-Yoshinobu-Sasaki Roki. AP Yonhap News
In a recent interview with Japanese media, Roberts said, `Otani has just returned from elbow surgery, and I think it will be a burden if he throws the ball at the WBC before the opening of the season. Yamamoto also pitched the most this season, so it's not going to be easy. Sasaki has also been injured all season, so it's hard to come back quickly," he said, expressing his personal opposition to participating in the WBC.

In the case of Ohtani, he has expressed his intention to participate, but it is still unclear whether he will play only as a batter or whether he will be able to throw both pitches with a limit on the number of pitches. Yamamoto did not make an official statement on his participation.




However, if Sasaki, who was considered to be the least likely to play among the three, participates, it will be a big twist. Sasaki, who joined the Dodgers through posting, has been disappointed with injuries and sluggishness throughout this season, his big league debut season. He showed the possibility of success again by turning into a closing pitcher in the postseason, but he has not yet decided how to use him next season. In particular, if you participate in the WBC, which is just before the opening of the regular season, while there are minor injuries in the shoulder area, the aftermath at the beginning of the season may be difficult to avoid.








This article was translated by Naver AI translator.