Ofunato’s pitcher Reki Sasaki (3rd year), the younger brother of Lotte’s pitcher Roki Sasaki, joined practice at Chuo University, a prestigious team in the Toho University Baseball League, where he is now attending, in Hachioji City, Tokyo.
Reiki Sasaki is 178cm tall. Although he has exceptional talent as an infielder, he said, “When I decided to play in college, I thought I only wanted to be a pitcher,” and is committed to pitching. When asked why he admires pitchers, he said, “Yamamoto Yoshinobu. When I pitch, I feel secure that I can win,” and laughed when asked why he doesn’t like his brother, saying, “Because we’re built differently.”
It’s her first time living in Tokyo, and when asked where she’d like to go, she innocently said, “Maybe Enoshima.”
When I asked him what kind of person his second brother, Roki, was, the third brother, Reiki, said:
“He’s kind. When we played Power Pro together, he always chose strong teams like SoftBank or Orix.”
Taking into account the handicap of being four years younger than his opponent, Roki chose to compete with a team that was not yet fully prepared.
“It’s a good fight, but in the end, I feel like I’m the one who loses.”
He always showed me how confident he was and ended up winning. That’s how I came to love him.
In the fall of his second year of high school, he switched from infielder to pitcher, and in his final summer, he recorded a top speed of 143 km/h. During his high school days, he inherited his older brother’s favorite white shoulder bag. He was proud of the navy blue embroidery of “Rouki Sasaki.”
The black pitcher’s glove that he brought with him when he moved into the dormitory was the one that Roki used after he went pro. Regarding his brother’s presence, he said, “We’re at a different level, so I don’t feel much pressure.”
When I told them I had passed, they were delighted and said, “Congratulations.” I worked hard for four years, just to get a little closer to those big backs.
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