Baseball

Rintaro Sasaki Held Hitless in Home Debut as Stanford Moves to 5-0

Freshman slugger Rintaro Sasaki admitted after the game that he was a bit nervous playing at home. "I have to get used to every kind of situation," he said.

by
Jack Gallagher
February 22, 2025

STANFORD, California ― Rintaro Sasaki could not muster his best at the plate in his debut before the home fans on a sunny Friday afternoon, February 21 at Sunken Diamond. But he was still upbeat afterward as Stanford University raised its record to 5-0 with a 2-0 victory over the University of Washington.

The Japanese slugging sensation, who bypassed the NPB Draft to attend the heralded institution, went 0-for-3 with a walk in the opener of a four-game, non-conference series with the Cardinal's former Pac-12 rival. Sasaki started at first base and batted third.

"I didn't play well today, but the team won," Sasaki stated in English on the field after the game. "Everybody did a good job. I am happy for the team to win and proud to be a part of it."

Sasaki admitted he had a case of the jitters playing before the home crowd for the first time.

"I was kind of nervous for this game," Sasaki commented. "This was a different situation than when we travel [for games]. I have to get used to every kind of situation."

Sasaki mentioned that he communicates with his father and Hanamaki Higashi High School manager Hiroshi frequently.

"I do talk to him after every single game," Sasaki remarked. "We talk by phone or by text. He is a coach and knows everything about me, like my hitting. Sometimes he is advising me."

How the Cardinal Improved to 5-0

Third baseman Trevor Haskins led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to left field on the first pitch from Huskies starter Max Banks to put the Cardinal up 1-0.

Sasaki popped out to first base on the first pitch of his opening at-bat in the first.

With a runner on second base in the third inning, Sasaki grounded out to first base on a 2-1 pitch.

Center fielder Charlie Bates led off the bottom of the fifth with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Haskins to give Stanford a 2-0 advantage.

Sasaki walked in the sixth after fouling off three pitches. He came up again in the seventh with the bases loaded but struck out against reliever Jackson Thomas.

Matt Scott, who started the opener for Stanford against Fullerton on February 15 and tossed 5⅓ innings for the win, took the ball again this day. The right-hander kept Washington hitless for the first three frames.

Scott got out of a jam in the sixth, when with runners on second and third and one out, he struck out Casen Taggart and got Trevor Kole to ground out to short. The Cardinal ace finished with 10 strikeouts in six innings, allowing four hits and a walk, and has let in just one run in 11⅓ frames to start the season.

Ty Uber relieved Scott to start the seventh and kept the Huskies off the board for two innings. Aidan Keenan retired the side in order in the ninth for the save.

Banks took the loss, giving up five hits and four walks in six innings.

Stanford Coach's Insights on Rintaro Sasaki

Despite not excelling at the plate this day, Stanford coach David Esquer praised the glove work the 125-kg Sasaki has displayed through the first five games.

"He fields his position very well and is an accurate thrower," Esquer noted. "He makes a good feed on double plays and really does work hard at it. Has really improved even since he has been here."

Esquer also spoke about Sasaki's impact on his teammates and his calm demeanor.

"He brings a charisma about him and he wants to win," Esquer stated. "In that dugout he is encouraging his teammates. He doesn't overreact to an at-bat where he doesn't get a hit. When you have a player like him, who really shows a team spirit, it really rubs off on the other guys."

Enthusiastic Support for Rintaro Sasaki

Several fans waited around for Sasaki to leave the field after the game, hoping to get his autograph or speak with him.

One was Stanford freshman Chisa Ogaki, a mechanical engineering major from Osaka.

She told Sasaki in Japanese, "Good luck. I will be your fan."

Asked for her opinion on seeing her compatriot play in person for the first time, Ogaki said, "It was amazing. I was really impressed by him."

Stanford began the season with a four-game sweep of Cal State Fullerton last week in Southern California, with Sasaki going 7-for-18 (.389) with a team-high eight RBIs.

Washington, which now plays in the Big Ten Conference, began the season 2-2 against three different opponents in a tournament.

Rintaro Rumblings

A day after ESPN aired a four-minute piece on the Sasaki on its main cable channel, an ESPN writer attended Friday's game while working on a feature story about the Iwate Prefecture native for its website.

Author: Jack Gallagher

The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.