Swallows set to release hard-throwing pitcher Yoshinori Sato
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows have decided to release right-hander Yoshinori Sato, once the fastest throwing pitcher in NPB, at the end of the season, club president Tsuyoshi Kinugasa said Tuesday. Kinugasa told reporters Yakult did not have a choice as the 28-year-old, who was drafted ...
BayStars closer Yasuaki Yamasaki embraces pressure of must-win games
The BayStars fans at Yokohama Stadium know what to expect when the team enters the bottom of the ninth inning with a small lead. It's Yasuaki time. When Yokohama closer Yasuaki Yamasaki comes out of the bullpen and heads to the mound, it is one of ...
Sato ends epic winless drought against Giants
Haunted to some extent by a poor showing in his last outing, Yoshinori Sato took the mound determined to set things right. Mission accomplished. Sato put together one of the best games of his last several injury-plagued seasons, Yuhei Takai powered the offense, and the Tokyo ...
Swallows' Sato cools off potent Carp offense
Yoshinori Sato held back NPB's top offense for as long as he could. It turned out to be just long enough for one of Japan's top offensive players to put the game away. Sato held the Hiroshima Carp scoreless for six innings and Tetsuto Yamada ...
Yoshinori Sato held the Chunichi Dragons to two runs over 5⅓ innings and earned his first win in five years as the Tokyo Yakult Swallows swept their series with a 5-2 win on Sunday in the Central League. Before 34,840 at Nagoya Dome, Sato (1-1) ...
Right-hander Yoshinori Sato, absent from the Tokyo Yakult Swallows' first-team camp for the past three years due to shoulder pain, worked two scoreless innings on Sunday in his first game action of the season. Sato's bread-and-butter fastball hit just 151 kph, but he was unable ...
Early troubles on mound could prove costly for Swallows
Every team faces some type of adversity, be it large or small, over the course of the season. That time comes earlier for some than others, and right now, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows are almost in the throes of tough times. While it's still too ...
