Seattle Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, who had an outstanding rookie season in the major leagues, returned to Japan on Tuesday ahead of an exhibition series between Japanese and major league all-star teams.
Sasaki, who set a rookie-record with 37 saves and led Seattle to the American League Championship Series, stepped on Japanese soil for the first time since he departed for spring training in January. "I experienced huge gaps between Japanese and Major League Baseball, such as the number of games, travel distances and hitting power. But all in all, I enjoyed the season and I'm glad with it," Sasaki said upon arriving at Narita Airport.
Sasaki signed a two-year contract with Seattle last December as a free agent after spending 10 seasons with the Yokohama BayStars.
The all-time saves leader in Japanese baseball was named the Central League's MVP in 1998 after he led the BayStars to their first Japan Series championship in 38 years. Sasaki will play for the major league team in the upcoming exhibition series starting on Nov. 3.