Tai Sasaki Crushes Saiki for Fourth Homer as Carp Hand Tigers Ace First Mazda Loss

Hiroshima Toyo Carp infielder Tai Sasaki continued his impressive turnaround on August 14, delivering a crucial home run against Hanshin Tigers ace Yuki Saiki in Hiroshima's 6-1 victory at Mazda Stadium.

With Hiroshima leading 2-0 in the fourth inning, Sasaki stepped to the plate with one out. On a 2-1 count, he attacked a high slider from Saiki and crushed it into the upper section of the left-center field stands.

It was Sasaki's fourth home run of the season and his first in roughly a month and a half.

The home run also proved to be the decisive blow against Saiki, who was removed from the game after the inning. Until then, the right-hander had never lost at Mazda Stadium.

For Sasaki, beating one of the league's top starting pitchers carried particular significance.

“One of the things that makes a player become one of the faces of a team is being able to beat the opposing ace,” Sasaki has said.

The home run was his second against Hanshin this season. His previous homer against the Tigers came on June 28, when he hit a shot that struck the right-field foul pole off Hiroto Takahashi.

“I finally felt like the good feeling I've had in practice came through in a real game,” Sasaki said. “That's something I can take confidence from.”

Sasaki wasn't finished.

Leading off the sixth inning, he hit a double into right-center field against Hanshin reliever Shota Mondenai, giving him two hits on the night.

It was his sixth multi-hit game in 10 appearances in August, continuing an impressive stretch for the young infielder.

After struggling badly early in the season and seeing his batting average fall to .190 at the end of May, Sasaki has steadily rebuilt his season. He hit .300 in June and .356 in July, while continuing to produce consistently in August.

Manager Takahiro Arai has also noticed the improvement.

“Even his outs have been good,” Arai said. “He's gradually developing.”

Sasaki, however, remains far from satisfied.

“There's still a long way to go,” he said. “I need to reflect on what I need to improve and carry those lessons into the next game.”

The performance against Saiki was another important step in Sasaki's development. Not only did he produce against one of the league's best pitchers, but he did so in a game where Hiroshima desperately needed a victory against the league-leading Tigers.

For a player who entered the summer fighting to escape a .190 batting average, Sasaki is rapidly becoming one of the most encouraging young hitters in the Carp lineup.