Seattle Mariners' ace closer Kazuhiro Sasaki returned to Japan on Friday with mixed emotions after his club's bid for a World Series berth was once again extinguished with a loss in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) to the New York Yankees.
Sasaki, completing his second year in the majors, played a pivotal role, along with teammate and league batting champion Ichiro Suzuki, in helping the Mariners tie the major-league record of 116 wins during the regular season.
The right-hander notched 45 saves, second in the league, and had a stellar debut in the All-Star series. Sasaki's brilliant season, however, was overshadowed by disappointment with the loss to the Bronx Bombers in the league championship for the second consecutive year.
Sasaki, who surrendered a tie-breaking, two-run "sayonara" homer to Alfonso Soriano in Game 4 of the series, expressed his frustration after losing the series four games to one.
"I had a homer hit off me and we lost the same series to Yankees, so I feel more frustration than satisfaction about my season," Sasaki told reporters at Narita Airport.
When asked about his solid performance in the All-Star series, Sasaki, commented, "There were a lot of things that went well, but I don't really remember. In the end, it happened that I had that homer hit off me in the league championship, so disappointment is what I feel the most," said a dejected Sasaki.
Sasaki said he was preparing a quick turnaround and would work on increasing his power for next season.
"After I rest for about a week, I'd like to work out as much as possible and increase my strength. I need to elevate to a World Series level."