Yu Sato
| Yu Sato | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chunichi Dragons – No. 14 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: June 29, 1993 | |||
| |||
| debut | |||
| 10 May, 2016, for the Chunichi Dragons | |||
| NPB statistics (through 2016) | |||
| Win-Loss record | 1-0 | ||
| Innings Pitched | 27 | ||
| ERA | 3.67 | ||
| Strikeouts | 18 | ||
| Teams | |||
| |||
Yu Sato (佐藤 優 Satō Yū, born June 28, 1993 in Ōsaki, Miyagi, Japan) is a professional Japanese baseball player. He plays pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons.
Early career
Sato started playing rubber-ball baseball in elementary school. With his high school, Furukawagakuen, he started his freshman year on the bench and reached the best 8 of the Tohoku Regional high school tournament.
He attended Tohoku Fukushi University and started playing league games in his freshman year. In his senior year in a game against Tohoku Institute of Technology, Sato fanned a remarkable 13 batters.[1] He finished with an 11-2 win-loss record with a 1.29 ERA.
On 22 October 2016, Sato was selected as second pick for the Chunichi Dragons at the 2015 Nippon Professional Baseball draft and on 1 December signed a \10,000,000 per year contract with a \70,000,000 sign-on bonus.[2]
Professional career
Chunichi Dragons
2016
On 10 May, in a game against the Yokohama DeNA Baystars at Yokohama Stadium, he claimed a debut win throwing 5 innings for 1 earned run becoming the first Dragons rookie pitcher to win on debut since Kenshin Kawakami in 1998.[3]
Sato finished the 2016 NPB season having started 4 games going 1-0 in decisions with a 3.67 ERA.
Pitching style
Sato throws a four-seam fastball that tops out at 151km/h. He can also throw a forkball that was taught to him by former Seattle Mariners pitcher, Kazuhiro Sasaki.[4]
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Dragons.jp
- NPB.jp
References
- ↑ "プロ注目の東北福祉大・佐藤13Ｋで白星発進 (Tohoku Fukushi's Future pro, 13K man Sato)" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ↑ "中日ドラ２、東北福祉大・佐藤優の入団決定 (Chunichi's #2 pick, Tohoku Fukushi's Sato joins the team)" (in Japanese). Sponichi. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ↑ "「優しすぎる男」中日佐藤が初登板初先発プロ初勝利 (The "man that is too kind"; Chunichi's Sato wins on debut)" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ↑ "【中日】ドラ２東北福祉大・佐藤優"竜の大魔神"になる「目標は新人王」(Draft #2 Tohoku Fukushi Uni's Yu Sato to become "Dragon Stone Warrior"; goal of rookie of the year)" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2016.