STANFORD, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Rintaro Sasaki zooms up to the ballpark on an electric bike with a brown bag of food in hand, ready to grab a quick bite of lunch then get right to work in the batting cage. <\/p>\n
When the Japanese slugger kept getting flat tires traveling around Stanford\u2019s expansive campus on his old bicycle, his teammates assured him he had to get some new wheels. Sasaki is loving the bike, just as he is loving everything about his unprecedented start in NCAA baseball.<\/p>\n
Sasaki made the surprising jump from playing high school ball in Japan to attending an American college, forgoing Japan\u2019s professional pipeline in a way that could accelerate his path toward Major League Baseball. <\/p>\n
He is fitting in beautifully so far and handling all that comes with being a busy student-athlete.<\/p>\n
Every couple of weeks, senior catcher Charlie Saum counts on hearing from Sasaki with an invite to In-N-Out Burger, the freshman having learned long ago the hip items to order \u2014 a double-double burger and animal-style fries, of course. <\/p>\n
Now, the 6-foot, 275-pound slugging first baseman is set to make his Stanford debut Friday at Cal State Fullerton and play his first home game one week later against Washington. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud to be a Stanford baseball player, but also kind of nervous. It should be fun,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have baseball, we have academics every single day. It\u2019s kind of a tough schedule. Classes are going well, I\u2019m enjoying school, I\u2019m enjoying baseball. It\u2019s a long day every day. … But I\u2019m enjoying every day of American life and Stanford life.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has settled into the rhythm of his daunting routine, making time for plenty of fun, too. <\/p>\n
Sasaki had a blast tossing T-shirts with his teammates during the Stanford men\u2019s basketball game Saturday. He pointed up into the stands, let the rolled red shirt fly with a perfect follow-through then pointed once more that direction before smiling and waving. Beforehand as they waited, he gave a thumbs-up and posed for photos alongside Saum.<\/p>\n
Yes, Sasaki has completely embraced everything about being a college student. He so enjoys speaking English that it\u2019s his first choice these days over Japanese. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s sick,\u201d Sasaki said to describe one experience, an expression he uses these days to Saum\u2019s amusement.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an incredible kid, he\u2019s unbelievable,\u201d Saum said. \u201cThat was kind of my big thing for him showing up was how is he going to deal with playing baseball in a new culture. Getting into college and playing baseball is hard enough for somebody who grows up in America and he\u2019s coming over, he\u2019s the first person to do this. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing that kind of blew me away was they were like, \u2018Hey, we\u2019ll get you a translator for all your classes,\u2019 he said, \u2018absolutely not,\u2019 he\u2019s like, \u2018I want to do this on my own.\u2019 He\u2019s so determined to learn English.\u201d<\/p>\n
From Day 1, Sasaki has been determined to do as much as he can himself, asking for help only if and when he truly needs an assist.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s for me the most impressive part,\u201d Saum added.<\/p>\n
The pair roomed together on road trips late last season after Sasaki arrived from Japan in March for the spring quarter and acclimated to his new life by traveling with the team without playing. Once the 2023-24 season ended, he went straight to the MLB Draft League to play for the Trenton Thunder before spending the remainder of the summer in the Appalachian League with the Greeneville Flyboys, showing off his mighty left-handed swing.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old Sasaki also speaks like someone beyond his years, specifically mentioning how he expects to face his share of struggles along the way and part of his growth is getting through the trying times and finding ways to overcome \u2014 whether in the classroom or on the diamond.<\/p>\n
His parents always stressed the importance of having a back-up plan and receiving an education, something Sasaki has taken to heart. Even if he isn\u2019t taking the traditional Japanese baseball route.<\/p>\n
He hopes youth back home might realize, \u201cyou can come here and you can make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Father Hiroshi coached Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi in high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how I will influence Japanese high school baseball players, but I\u2019m just going on my path, my way,\u201d Sasaki said in near-perfect English. \u201cEven if baseball is not going well, I\u2019m going to go with my way, because why did I come here? I just wanted to come to Stanford. It\u2019s my reason, it\u2019s my life.\u201d <\/p>\n
Then, Sasaki paused to think and added, speaking through longtime family friend Junpei Tomonaga, who serves as an interpreter when necessary: \u201cIf my journey can inspire the young people, that\u2019s great. I\u2019m not even sure I can be successful, but at least those young people can see how I\u2019m challenging myself in life doing something no one\u2019s done before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veteran coach David Esquer can\u2019t quite believe it, either. He never had to go to Japan to scout and recruit Sasaki, who had already targeted Stanford as a top program to consider in his search for schools.<\/p>\n