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Sasaki Makoto | |
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| Date of Birth | 2 October 1965 |
| Place of Birth | Okayama |
Sasaki Makoto, a southpaw, plays centerfield for the Seibu Lions. No other baseball player in Japan is more wonderful than him.
In 1984, the Nankai Hawks chose him as their final draft choice, because the Hawks knew that he would become a great baseball player in Japan after a few years. He was very delighted at that, because he had been the fan of Hawks since his childhood and had been playing baseball with the intention of belonging to the Hawks. His dreams had been realized.
In 1985, the manager of the Hawks did not make him a regular player, because he decided to train Sasaki Makoto preciously. He did not take part in games at all, training himself instead. But at the end of three years, he had taken part in 125 games, as a result, he had compiled a batting average of 288, 11 home runs, and RBI 33. Then, he became regular player without ever having been demoted to the farm class. His unique form of batting and splendid style of baseball surprised a lot of baseball fans.
In 1990, the Nankai Hawks were bought by Daiei, but his style of baseball did not change at all, In 1992, he became a leading hitter and great base-stealer, and he won the Golden Glove Prize.
In 1994, the Seibu Lions offered the Daiei Hawks the trade him with Akiyama Koji, who was also one of star players in Japan. In that season, the Lions won the championship. That was the first time in his baseball life. He became a great base-stealer again.
At present, he always plays a part in the big games. Many people think Sasaki Makoto may be a American Major-Leaguer after Nomo Hideo.
References: Seibu Lions Fanbook, Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1996
Reported by: Yoneda Makoto
Data verified by: Murakami Tadashi
Date of Report: July 1996