Sasaki marked the fastest Japanese speed of 165 km/h, which is the same as Otani, in a game against Hiroshima on March 11. The American press was surprised at the speed of his fastest pitch. (C)THE DIGEST

Sasaki is on par with Ohtani! American journalists were astonished by Roki Sasaki's 165 km, tied for the fastest Japanese speed!

Sasaki, who had pitched a complete game without allowing a hit until the 4th inning, gave up a hit to the leadoff batter in the 5th inning and then drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. 　

The 21-year-old turned it up a notch against Ryutaro Hazuki in the 9th and hit a series of pitches over 160 km/h. When the fourth pitch was fouled off, the electronic scoreboard read 165 km/h. Sasaki was able to get out of the inning with two outs and a runner at second base, but he was unable to get out of the inning. The fans who saw this unintentionally let out an "ooh" or "ahh" as he set a new NPB record for the fastest Japanese speed, tying with Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. Sasaki was met with persistence by Hazuki, who bounced his ninth straight pitch back to him and gave up a timely hit, but managed to score two runs.

　In the 6th inning, with a four-run lead and two outs, he was caught by the Hiroshima batters, but he got a strikeout of Hirosuke Tanaka. In the 7th inning, when he volunteered to continue pitching, he got his 10th strikeout and pitched a scoreless inning, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk. The score was tied at one late in the game, but guardian god Naoya Masuda held on in the end, and Lotte won its second straight game, 6-5. 　

American journalists were astonished to see the 21-year-old's hardball, which continues to evolve. Jason Koskley, an American baseball writer who is familiar with Japanese professional baseball, said, "Low-Ki Sasaki has set a new record for the fastest pitch by a Japanese pitcher, tying Shohei Otani with a speed of 165 kilometers per hour. And this isn't the first time he's done it!" he wrote, rolling his eyes at the speed of his first pitch since April 28 of this year against the Orix. 　

Dylan Hernandez, a reporter who writes for the Los Angeles Times, was also shocked. He posted on Twitter, "Sasaki threw 102.5 mph today, tying the NPB record for fastest pitch by a Japanese pitcher, which is held by Ohtani. He then added, "It was apparently the second time this season. 　

Sasaki, who earned his fifth win on his home field, explained in his hero interview that he wanted to pitch a long inning because he had closed the score gap by himself. When the fans cheered loudly for him, he responded with a big smile.

Source: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/63a5395b09b6a6d56ba344fa556db1e049155202