Japan's Sasaki set to follow Ohtani with move to MLB

TOKYO, Japan -- Hotly tipped Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki was on Saturday given the green light to follow in the footsteps of Shohei Ohtani and move to Major League Baseball.

Sasaki, widely regarded as one of the best players in Japan's domestic league, will be posted for a potential move to the US, his club the Chiba Lotte Marines said.

That means MLB clubs will have the right to bid for the 23-year-old right-hander this offseason, in an agreement between the Japanese and American leagues.

Sasaki threw a perfect game in April 2022 and was part of the Japan team that won last year's World Baseball Classic alongside Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Ohtani.

Ohtani won his first MLB championship last month when the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Sasaki said he had "nothing but gratitude" to the Marines for agreeing to post him.

"You only get one baseball career and I don't want to have any regrets," he said.

"I want to meet the expectations of everyone who has pushed me."

Sasaki's father and grandparents were killed in the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011.

His house was swept away when the earthquake unleashed a tsunami that left around 18,500 people dead or missing, and triggered a meltdown at Fukushima nuclear plant.