1968
Born February 22, 1968
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Kazuhiro Sasaki Marquee
b. February 22, 1968 · Seattle Mariners 2000–2003
Kazuhiro Sasaki pitched exclusively for the Seattle Mariners across his four-season major-league career, from 2000 to 2003, after an established career in Japan before his debut at 32.
He saved 129 games and struck out 242 batters over 223 innings, all in relief, with a 3.14 earned run average and a 7-16 record that reflects the nature of a closer's role.
His two All-Star selections came in his final two seasons, 2001 and 2002.
He was born in Tokyo on February 22, 1968, and batted and threw right-handed, working exclusively in relief across all four of his major-league seasons, never once starting a game in that span.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 2 | 2001, 2002 |
| Player of the Week | 1 | 2001 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 | 2000 |
| The Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year | 1 | 2000 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | SEA | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | SEA | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | SEA | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | SEA | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Career | — | 228 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Pitching, season by season
| Year | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | SEA | 2 | 5 | 63 | 0 | 37 | 62.2 | 42 | 22 | 31 | 78 | 3.16 |
| 2001 | SEA | 0 | 4 | 69 | 0 | 45 | 66.2 | 48 | 24 | 11 | 62 | 3.24 |
| 2002 | SEA | 4 | 5 | 61 | 0 | 37 | 60.2 | 44 | 17 | 20 | 73 | 2.52 |
| 2003 | SEA | 1 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 10 | 33.1 | 31 | 15 | 15 | 29 | 4.05 |
| Career | — | 7 | 16 | 228 | 0 | 129 | 223.1 | 165 | 78 | 77 | 242 | 3.14 |
On this day & linked events
2000
Major-league debut: Kazuhiro Sasaki
Kazuhiro Sasaki made a major-league debut on April 5, 2000.
2003
Final major-league game: Kazuhiro Sasaki
Kazuhiro Sasaki played a final major-league game on September 28, 2003.
Image: Ogiyoshisan, CC BY-SA 3.0