Roki Sasaki returned to league action for the first time in over a month, but was knocked out in the sixth inning and took the loss as the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles beat the Chiba Lotte Marines 5-4 in the Pacific League on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old Sasaki (6-2), who in April became Japan's youngest pitcher to throw a perfect game, allowed five runs over 5⅓ innings.
A month after leaving his July 1 start when he broke a blister on his right middle finger, Sasaki was unable to locate either his forkball or the slider. He surrendered eight hits, all singles, while striking out five and walking none.