Next to the Japan Series, which was crushed by Fuji, Akinori Sasaki will be given “Samurai Japan”… The “lament” of NPB executives as the headwinds continue.

The “timing” was bad.

On November 9, Lotte pitcher Akinori Sasaki (23) announced that the team will allow him to transfer to a Major League Baseball team in the United States through the posting system. Sasaki made the following comments through the team.

I can only thank the baseball team for listening to me about my future MLB challenge since I joined the team, and for allowing me to officially post my application this time. There were many things that went wrong during my five years with Lotte, but with the support of my teammates, the staff, the front office, and the fans, I was able to come this far by focusing only on baseball. I will do my best to live up to the expectations of everyone who has supported me and to become the best player in the world by working my way up from a minor league contract.

A sports newspaper reporter in charge of the majors noted, “In November, he was signed by the U.S. baseball media.

In November, reporters from the U.S. baseball media began posting on X about Sasaki’s offseason moves and the teams to which he will be transferred. The content was quite specific, and it was believed that Lotte’s acceptance of the posting was only a matter of time.

However, the timing of the announcement was too bad.

Akinori is the second Fuji”?

On the 9th, the day the Sasaki case was announced, the Czech Republic game of the “Rugzas Samurai Japan Series 2024” was being held at the Bantelin Dome Nagoya to strengthen the Samurai Japan team for the “Premier 12” tournament.

This was the unveiling game for the young, mainly young Japanese team led by Hirokazu Ibata (49), and a great opportunity for the NPB to dispel the image of the Japan Series, which was jaded by Fuji Television. However, at the same time, a news report about the biggest concern in the Japanese baseball world stole the headlines. The players and others involved in the game laughed and said, “Tomorrow, Akinori will be hijacking the newspapers, right? They laughed bitterly. Then they asked, “Is Akinori the second Fuji? (laugh).

From our point of view, Fuji had interrupted the World Series rerun with the Japan Series broadcast, and now the Samurai Japan game was interrupted by Sasaki’s trip to the majors. It’s a bit of a “tread on my toes” situation. Of course, Sasaki is not at fault…” (NPB official)

Manager Rito Yoshii (59) also commented on Sasaki’s move , “Of course, it hurts the team a lot, but I also wanted to play in the U.S., so it ‘s not my fault. However, I have played in the U.S. myself, so I understand how they feel. I also understand that they want to challenge themselves now that they are young. To be honest, there are still parts of my game that are incomplete, but I think that I can improve myself in the U.S. and raise my game even higher.

With the Yankees, Dodgers, and other teams already rumored to be interested in Sasaki, we can only hope that he will be able to take his first step onto the stage of his dreams without being bound by the NPB or the press.