Who is Roki Sasaki? Meet Japanese pitching phenom who almost threw back-to-back perfect games

It's time you got to know Roki Sasaki.

USA TODAY Sports MLB guru Steve Gardner examines which New York team is under more pressure in 2022.On the other side of the world, another right-handed phenom is throwing just as hard – and one-upping Greene by being perfect.

Roki Sasaki, 20, threw the first perfect game in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball in 28 years last week. The Chiba Lotte star followed that performance with eight more perfect innings Saturday against Hokkaido Nippon. He was pulled after the eighth at 102 pitches and the game tied at 0; Chiba lost 1-0 in extra innings.

In his perfect game last Sunday, Sasaki struck out 19 Orix Buffaloes batters, at one point fanning 13 in a row. Sasaki whiffed 14 batters total Saturday and struck out the side in the eighth while his pitches still topped 101 mph, according to the Kyodo News. The 20-year-old has 56 strikeouts in 31 total innings and has retired the last 52 batters he's faced.

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