"Straight Talk" is a regular feature in which The Sporting Tribune's John E. Gibson offers a full translation of media availability with Dodgers Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. He will also help translate when Clippers star Rui Hachimura and L.A. Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida are asked questions in Japanese.
The job of interpreters in the heat of the moment is difficult without the ability to write down questions and answers and re-hear responses for proper context. That's where John comes in to help. John currently works as a Japanese-English interpreter and covered pro baseball in Japan for about 20 years. His experience as a sports reporter includes stints at The Orange County Register, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, The Redlands Daily Facts, The Yomiuri Shimbun’s English newspaper in Tokyo and The Epoch Times.
NEW YORK – Roki Sasaki fires his fastest pitch of the season, topping out at a career-high 101.8 mph and hurling 21 pitches at 100 mph or harder during his 5.2-inning outing at Yankee Stadium, and the Los Angeles Dodgers later come from behind for a 2-1 victory on Friday. Sasaki scatters five hits and a walk, while fanning five – allowing one run on a passed ball in the fourth inning – for a strong outing in the team’s first game after the All-Star break. ping out at an MLB in the first inning.
Q: Roki, you threw your hardest pitch (… inaudible) today, what has allowed you to get that velocity up to where it was today?
Sasaki: Um, we had some time off and it had been a while since I pitched, and I also made slight adjustments to my form. But I just felt good out there, and that was a positive.
Q: What types of adjustments were you able to make, and how quickly were you able to feel the results?
Sasaki: It’s just one game, so I can’t if it’s good or not, but it was good for me to take a look at the way I was using my, let’s say lower half.
Q: Were you expecting to look up and see 101 (mph) before starts? Do you have an idea where your velocity’s going?
Sasaki: Well, I couldn’t really get a good look at the speed when it popped up, so I had no idea at the beginning. But when the second hitter was at-bat, I caught a glimpse of it behind him. So I was pitching strong, but didn’t feel like I was throwing that hard; when I was pitching, I just felt like I had a good fastball going today.
Q: Did it make it any sweeter to perform the way that you did at Yankee Stadium with Gerrit Cole on the other side?
Sasaki: Well, he’s a fantastic pitcher and I figured we wouldn’t have that many opportunities to score off him, so I just wanted to make sure I didn’t give up even one run and just tried to pitch carefully. This is really a wonderful stadium, and I’m glad I was able to pitch well here.
Q: When you’re in the zone more, is that more about like your intention and focus, or is that about your delivery being in a good place or is more about you trying to be in the zone?
Sasaki: Well, as far as today goes, I think both were true. Sometimes I was trying to work the count, and other times I was trying to get a strike and the velocity didn’t drop, so I think that was because my form was good.
Q: When you have a great start like that – Yankee Stadium, packed house – are you able to take a step back and enjoy it?
Sasaki: Yes, it’s beautiful and it’s a great stadium and there were a lot of fans. I can’t say it was enjoyable, but I pitched.
Q: Do you feel like this could be a turning point for just you in the season, bringing everything together, the velocity and being in control of your mechanics?
Sasaki: The changes I made in this game, if I am certain they worked, I think I can maintain this level of performance. Of course, there are many factors in play, no doubt, and I can’t point out which ones made impact, but it wasn’t just the fastball, it was my offspeed stuff that was also good. So I just want to take the positive things out of this and continue to pitch well going forward.