From losing his parents & grandparents to Japan's most powerful earthquake ever to reaching the MLB as a world record-holder: The Roki Sasaki story

On Saturday, NPB's Chiba Lotte Marines confirmed that star pitcher Roki Sasaki would be posted in the coming days. Considered the top Japanese free agent on the offseason market, the 23-year-old flamethrower is no stranger to adversity.

Born in Iwate - the same prefecture as Shohei Ohtani - Sasaki displayed brilliance from a young age. However, in addition to baseball, life threw some curveballs at Sasaki from a young age. These lessons in hardship were undoubtedly just as valuable for teaching the pitching star resilience as was any high-stakes pitching situation.

"Coming soon to MLB: Roki Sasaki" - FOX Sports: MLB

In 2011, when Sasaki was just nine years old, a Mw 9.0–9.1 undersea megathrust earthquake struck off of Japan's Pacific coast. Then living in Rikuzentakata, the "Great East Japan Earthquake" swept away his father and grandparents. After the calamity, Sasaki's widowed mother and his two brothers had to stay in a nursing home during the recovery.

Despite the unspeakable tragedy, Sasaki remained committed to making a name for himself in baseball. In high school, Sasaki's 99.4 miles per hour pitch tied Shohei Ohtani for the Japanese high school baseball record. In 2019, he was selected by the Chiba Lotte Marines in the first round of the NPB draft.

In 2022, Sasaki made his NPB debut, pitching to a 4-2 record alongside a 1.84 ERA in 83.1 innings. The following season, 2022, was when Sasaki started to draw serious acclaim. After going 9-4 with a 2.22 ERA, Sasaki was named to his first NPB All-Star team. On April 10 of that season, Sasaki tossed a perfect game - posting an NPB-record 19 strikeouts - as well as 13 straight strikeouts, which remains a pro baseball world record.

"It’s official. The Chiba Lottery Marines have agreed to post Roki Sasaki this winter. In 2025, Roki Sasaki will be in MLB." - Shawn Spradling

After going 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 2024, the Lotte Mariners decided to post him. Under the posting system, MLB clubs will have 45 days to claim his contract. The Los Angeles Dodgers have already emerged as a contender to ink the 23-year-old.

Roki Sasaki looks forward to chance to play in MLB

Sasaki's association with Ohtani, as well as his friendship with San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish, already has pundits guessing about his destination. However, as Sasaki recently stated in an X post, he is simply excited for the chance to play in MLB:

"I will do my best to work my way up from my minor contract to become the best player in the world, so that I will have no regrets in my one and only baseball career and so that I can live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me this time."

A player with a chance to become a generational talent, watch out for several MLB teams to sweeten the pot for a chance to lock down this future All-Star.