"Baseball made me who I am today," Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Rōki Sasaki said on the anniversary of the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake earlier this year. "I've learned so much from it."
Sasaki, who was just 9 years old at the time of the disaster, lost his father and grandparents to the tsunami and his home was destroyed. Amid daily life, the moments that helped him forget his grief were when he played baseball with friends and siblings. The young boy continued with the sport, overcame tremendous hardship, carved a path to the professional level, and this year, reached the Major League stage.
On Sunday, Sasaki, together with his former Chiba Lotte teammate Shuta Takano, held a baseball clinic in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, where they led elementary and middle school students through running drills and catch practice. The young participants’ eyes shone as they interacted with their admired Major Leaguer, who appeared to genuinely enjoy coaching them.
But the event was about more than just baseball: Suzu City suffered heavy damage during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1, 2024, with over 6,000 homes destroyed, and recovery progress has been slow, leaving lasting scars in the area. Having personally experienced disaster, Sasaki’s decision to hold a clinic there was particularly meaningful. For the children, it was a wonderful surprise, and the autographed balls handed to each child by Sasaki at the end of the session will surely become special keepsakes.
Since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, both professional Japanese players and Major Leaguers have visited devastated areas. Players such as Koji Uehara, Hisashi Iwakuma, Curtis Granderson, Cal Ripken Jr. (while serving as a U.S. Sports Envoy), and Randy Johnson brought energy and smiles to countless young baseball players. Sasaki himself attended baseball clinics as a child, while he doesn’t remember the specific lessons, he recalls simply enjoying the experience, a memory that undoubtedly inspired him to host this clinic.
Sasaki has also continued to be actively involved in community outreach. In March, when a forest fire broke out in his hometown of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, he donated 10 million yen (about $65,000) in relief funds along with 500 sets of bedding to local evacuation centers.
In his rookie Major League season, Sasaki was placed on the injured list in June due to a right shoulder impingement but returned by mid-September. He played a key role as the Dodgers’ closer during the postseason, and next season, he is expected to return to the starting rotation.