Roki Sasaki is moving closer to pitching in an MLB game after being sidelined for three months.
The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander pitched three innings in a simulated game, aka a live batting practice session, on Friday, August 8. He threw 46 pitches at Dodger Stadium before the reigning World Series champions' game against the Minnesota Twins.
Sasaki was placed on the injured list on May 13 with a right shoulder impingement. He was moved to the 60-day IL on June 20.
Time off helped the 23-year-old pitcher recover from the injury. On Tuesday, August 5, Sasaki said that he's "pain-free and relieved of anxiety," Kyoto News reported.
What's Next for Roki Sasaki?
Sasaki will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Thursday, August 14 for the Oklahoma City Comets, the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, against the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies), it was announced on Saturday.
In the simulated game, Sasaki's fastball topped out at 97 mph (156 kph).
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave a positive review of Sasaki's mound stint during batting practice.
"He accomplished what he needed to," Roberts said, according to The Associated Press.
Sasaki hasn't pitched in an MLB game since he started against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 9 in Phoenix.
When he does return at a TBD date, the former Chiba Lotte Marines starter will have a new pitch in his arsenal: a two-seam fastball.
"I'm intent on using them in actual games," he said, according to Kyodo News.
Although the Iwate Prefecture native is listed at 6-foot-2 (188 cm) and 187 pounds (about 85 kg), Roberts said that Sasaki has recently bulked up a bit, and this has noticeably altered his pitching delivery.
"He's more physical," Roberts said after Sasaki's simulated game on Friday, according to The Associated Press. "The throw wasn't as shoulder-y. It was a little bit more clean."
Roki Sasaki Working His Way Back
The Dodgers have projected a late August return for Sasaki to pitch in an MLB game.
But he's clearly taken a step in the right direction.
"His fastballs and splits (split-finger fastballs) were good," Roberts said of Sasaki after Friday's live batting practice, Jiji Press reported.
The manager then said, "He's reaching the level we wanted him to reach."
Sasaki is 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA in eight games in his first season with the Dodgers. In 34⅓ innings, he has 24 strikeouts. He's also walked 22 batters.
Indeed, he's struggled at times in his first MLB season.
Sasaki recognized that he's a work in progress.
"American hitters have different approaches at the plate compared to Japanese hitters, so now I can't really attack the same way that I used to in Japan," Sasaki, according to MLB.com. "And also at the same time, they have different strengths and weaknesses. So [I'm trying to be] able to have more variety in the way I attack the hitters."
Speaking of variety, the addition of a two-seam fastball could be beneficial for him, Roberts insisted.
"To have two separate fastballs, one that potentially could miss a bat [and] one that could put a ball on the ground, those are two good weapons," Roberts was quoted as saying by MLB.com.
Before joining LA, Roki Sasaki pitched for Lotte from 2021 to 2024, famously tossing a perfect game with 19 strikeouts in April 2022.
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Fighters Become the 1st PL Team to Reach 60 Wins
Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters right-hander Koki Kitayama pitched eight scoreless innings against the visiting Saitama Seibu Lions on Wednesday, August 6.
Kitayama (7-3) limited the Lions to a pair of singles. He struck out five and walked one in the Fighters' 4-0 victory at Es Con Field Hokkaido.
With the win, the Fighters became the first Pacific League team with 60 wins in the 2025 NPB season.
In addition to his noteworthy pitching performance, Kitayama also debuted his new uniform number (15) on Wednesday. He previously wore No 57.
"The fact that the manager (Tsuyoshi Shinjo) suggested it means a lot to me," Kitayama was quoted as saying by Sports Hochi. "It made me very happy, and I want to do my best to live up to it."
Kitayama began his NPB career with the Fighters in 2022.
Through Saturday, August 9, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (61-36-4) held a two-game lead over Nipponham (60-39-2) in the PL standings.
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Soccer
Former Samurai Blue Captain Ihara Headlines the Japan Football Hall of Fame Class
Defender Masami Ihara has been selected for induction into the Japan Football Hall of Fame.
An announcement was made on Tuesday, August 5.
The 57-year-old Ihara played the majority of his pro career for Yokohama F Marinos (1990-99) and had later stints with Jubilo Iwata and the Urawa Reds. He retired in 2002.
During his distinguished career, Ihara was named to the Best Eleven (all-league) team six years in a row, starting with the 1991-92 Japan Soccer League campaign before the launch of the J.League.
Ihara made 122 appearances for the Samurai Blue, also known as the Japan men's national team. He served as captain from 1996-99, including during Japan's first appearance in the FIFA World Cup in '98.
The Japan Football Association also announced that Yasushi Suzuki, a former manager of the women's national team, and four influential players during his tenure were chosen as special selections for the Hall of Fame.
Suzuki led the Japan women's team from 1989-96, including at the Atlanta Olympics, when women's soccer was held as an official tournament for the first time.
The women's national team was established in 1981 and the seeds for future success were planted during Suzuki's years in charge. Most notably, Nadeshiko Japan won the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Forward Etsuko Handa, midfielders Futaba Kioka and Asako Takakura and midfielder/forward Akemi Noda join Suzuki as 2025 Hall of Fame inductees.
Takakura was the Nadeshiko Japan manager from 2016-21.
The 2025 Japan Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for September 16.
Boxing
2 Japanese Boxers Die After Suffering Brain Injuries
Boxers Shigetoshi Kotari and Hiromasa Urakawa passed away from brain injuries sustained during a pair of fights on the same card on August 2 at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall.
Kotari, 28, was pronounced dead on Friday, August 8.
A day later, Urakawa, also 28, died, according to published reports.
Fighting in the main bout on the August 2 card, Kotari suffered a traumatic brain injury against Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation super featherweight champion Yamato Hata in Tokyo.
Shortly after the 12-round fight, which ended in a split draw, Kotari was rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for a brain bleed.
ESPN reported that Kotari needed surgery "to treat a subdural hematoma, in which blood collects between the skull and the brain."
The World Boxing Organization paid tribute to Nagoya native Kotari (8-2-2, five knockouts) in a social media post.
"Rest in peace, Shigetoshi Kotari," it began.
The post continued: "A warrior in the ring, a fighter in spirit. Gone too soon. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, team and the entire Japanese boxing community."
In a clash of lightweights, Yoji Saito defeated Urakawa (10-4, seven KOs) via an eighth-round KO on the August 2 undercard.
The severity of the punching damage that Urakawa sustained landed him in the hospital after the fight. He also underwent emergency brain surgery, receiving a craniotomy, which is "the surgical removal of part of the bone from the skull to expose the brain," according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website.
Urakawa needed surgery due to a subdural hematoma.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends and the Japanese boxing community during this incredibly difficult time," the WBO said in a statement after Urakawa's death.
Reducing the Length of Fights
In November 1982, South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim died several days after his 14th-round technical knockout loss to Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini in a scheduled 15-round WBA lightweight title fight in Las Vegas.
When the brutal fight was declared over, Kim was unconscious. He never awoke from his coma, dead at 27.
In the aftermath of Kim's death, major world boxing governing bodies reduced fights from 15 rounds to 12. This was done in an attempt to reduce the overall damage from the sheer volume of punches.
The WBC first implemented the change, as of January 1, 1983, and then the WBA and the IBF in 1987, followed by the upstart WBO in '88.
Heavyweight champion Larry Holmes was not a supporter of the change.
"It will cut down on injuries for a lot of fighters, but it will take away from the true champions," Holmes was quoted as saying by The Associated Press in December 1982. "A true champion can go 15 rounds."
The Japan Boxing Commission has announced that future OPBF-sanctioned fights in Japan will be 10 rounds instead of 12.
Basketball
Ryukyu's Cooley to Play for Team USA in FIBA AmeriCup
Veteran center Jack Cooley, who has played for the B.League's Ryukyu Golden Kings since 2019, will compete for the United States men's national team squad at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup.
The 12-national quadrennial tournament, which represents the entire Western Hemisphere, tips off on August 22 in Managua, Nicaragua. It runs through August 31 in the Nicaraguan capital.
"I am very excited to be able to play for Team USA in the AmeriCup," Cooley said in a statement. "Any opportunity to play for your home country is an honor and it has been a dream of mine to wear a USA jersey."
He added, "I am going to use this opportunity to focus my attention and effort so I can be ready for the 2025-26 B.League season. I am always looking for new ways to help improve myself so I can continue to bring success to Okinawa."
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Horse Racing
Sugiyama Leads JRA Trainers in Wins This Season
Trainer Haruki Sugiyama is first among Japan Racing Association trainers in victories during the 2025 racing season, according to updated statistics on August 8.
Sugiyama's entrants have won 34 races.
Takashi Saito is second with 30 wins, while Yoshito Yahagi and Mitsumasa Nakauchida have 29 apiece. Yasuo Tomomichi rounds out the top five with 26 victories.
Of the five trainers, Yahagi's thoroughbreds have participated in the most races (314).
Japan's next big horse racing event is the 2025 World All-Star Jockeys, a series of four high-profile races set for August 23-24 at Sapporo Racecourse.
Six overseas-based jockeys were invited to participate: Alexis Badel (who rides regularly in Hong Kong), Francisco Goncalves (Argentina), Thore Hammer Hansen (Germany), Karis Teetan (Hong Kong), Cristian Torres (United States) and Craig Williams (Australia).
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Quotes of the Week
"Yeah, obviously this tournament went really well. It could have went better, but that's just me being picky. I think it was a really good first tournament, and I hope that we can continue."
―Tennis player Naomi Osaka, assessing her performance in the National Bank Open and working with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. Osaka made it to the final, but lost to Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko on August 7.
"To win such a historic tournament in front of all these amazing fans is such an incredible feeling. And to have my family around me to have so much support from everyone here is just amazing. To be part of such a moment in history is something very, very special."
―Miyuu Yamashita, on winning the Women's British Open, her first title on the LPGA Tour, on August 3.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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