TOKYO (AP) — It's not clear if pitcher Roki Sasaki — the next big thing out of Japanese baseball — will move to Major League Baseball next season.
He turns 23 in early November and his fate is in the hands of his Japanese club Chiba Lotte Marines. And of course, it will come down to money.
But on Friday, despite arm issues earlier in the year and a slight drop in velocity and strikeouts this season, he's showed he's ready to follow Japanese stars like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Major League Baseball.
He pitched seven strong innings with seven strikeouts, three hits and two walks and no runs as the Marines defeated the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 6-2. SoftBank has the best record in Japanese baseball this season.
Going into Friday he had pitched 77 innings with a 2.45 ERA, 91 strikeouts, 25 walks and two home runs. The big question is if this slight drop in performance will delay him from being posted to MLB when the Japanese season ends.
Sasaki's right-arm issues have been described in Japan as fatigue, which has limited his innings. His velocity is down slightly this season after missing about two months with arm soreness.
Sasaki's Japanese team Chiba Lotte will ultimately decide when he plays in MLB. A player under the age of 25 who is posted by a Japanese team is subject to international signing rules, which could limit his bonus. A player over 25 with six seasons of playing time in Japan could land a more lucrative deal.
Reports in Japan suggest that Sasaki, who before the season began suggested he hoped to move on when the season ends, may now be having second thoughts.
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FILE - Japan's Lotte Marines pitcher Roki Sasaki speaks at a news conference in Chiba, near Tokyo, Jan. 27, 2024, after he signed a contract for the coming season with the team. (Kyodo News via AP, File)
Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Roki Sasaki throws against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in a baseball game in Chiba, near Tokyo, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A new attempt has begun to try to salvage an oil tanker burning in the Red Sea after attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a European Union naval mission said Saturday.
The EU’s Operation Aspides published images dated Saturday of its vessels escorting ships heading to the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion.
The mission has “been actively involved in this complex endeavor, by creating a secure environment, which is necessary for the tugboats to conduct the towing operation,” the EU said.
A phone number for the mission rang unanswered Saturday.
The Sounion came under attack from the Houthis beginning Aug. 21. The vessel had been staffed by a crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, who were taken by a French destroyer to nearby Djibouti.
The Houthis later planted explosives aboard the ship and detonated them. That’s led to fears the ship’s 1 million barrels of crude oil could spill into the Red Sea.
The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors. One of the sunken vessels, the Tutor, went down after the Houthis planted explosives aboard it and after its crew abandoned it due to an earlier attack, the rebel group later acknowledged.
Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.
The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
This photo released by the European Union's Operation Aspides naval force shows the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion burning in the Red Sea following a series of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (European Union's Operation Aspides via AP)
This photo released by the European Union's Operation Aspides naval force shows the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion burning in the Red Sea following a series of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. (European Union's Operation Aspides via AP)
This satellite picture from Planet Labs PBC shows the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion burning in the Red Sea after being attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
