Lotte Marines right-hander Roki Sasaki threw batting practice Tuesday as he prepares to pitch for Japan's World Baseball Classic team in an exhibition game against Australia next week. Sasaki, who turns 21 on Thursday, became the youngest pitcher in Japanese baseball history to throw a perfect game in April. He threw a total of 33 pitches against four batters during Lotte's autumn training at Zozo Marine Stadium, touching as high as 151 kilometers (93.8 miles) per hour with his fastball. In the run-up to next March's World Baseball Classic, Japan will play one exhibition game each against the ...
