SASAKI WITH THE SEATTLE MARINERS IN 2001
2001 American League Championship Series
October 21
In the 8th inning, Bret Boone homered to give the Marines a run first.
But in the bottom of that inning, the Yankees' Bernie Williams homered too for a tie.
And Sasaki's chance to pitch for the first time in the championship series came.
But it was a nightmare.
He was homered by Soliano a game finishing double. Alfonso Soriano played for the Hiroshima Carp but
never had a homerun at that time.
The game turned out 3 to 1 for the Yankees.
In the 2001 American League Division Series
October 15
The Mariners were ahead when Sasaki got to pitch in the final inning.
He took 3 outs, and the Mariners clinched its 3rd game against the Cleveland Indians 3 to 1,
to proceed to the league championship.
October 14 The Mariners helped Sasaki relax in the 9th inning but batting in 2 runs at that time. His team managed to defeat the Cleveland Indians 6 to 2, and Sasaki closed the game safely.
October 11 Sasaki got to appear in the 2nd game of the play off. With the Mariner leading by 4 runs, Sasaki came to pitch. He got a runner on base, but otherwise safely closed the game. The Mariners this time clinched the game 5 to 1 over the Cleveland Indians.
2001 Regular Season
October 6
In the final inning with the Mariners leading a run over the Texas Rangers,
Sasaki was on.
He took out 3, and earned his 45th save.
With a 1 to 0 victory, the Mariners tied with the league record of 116 wins.
October 3 Sasaki was supported by Ichiro out in the field in the 9th inning. He picked up his 44th save with the Mariners defeating the Anaheim Angels 4 to 3.
September 28 Sasaki gave up a run. Still, his team defeated the Oakland Athletics 5 to 3. And he was able to earn his 43rd save.
September 26 At last Sasaki is able to pitch in a game that can give him credit for the win. He came on in the 9th inning with the Mariners 7 to 5 over the Texas Rangers. Sasaki did all right and collected his 42nd save.
September 23 Sasaki came on in the 9th inning with the team behind the Oakland Athletics, but he made the situation worse for his team by giving up 2 runs. The Mariners lost 4 to 7.
September 19 Sasaki pitched for the first time in 10 days in a game. Even though he was not credited with the save he celebrated the game. During the game, it was learned that runner up, the Oakland Athletics lost. The Mariners clinched first place in the AL West. The Mariners defeated the Anaheim Angels 5 to 0.
September 4 Sasaki could not save the game. The Mariners were caught up by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 9th inning. And the 10 inning game was clinched by the Devil Rays 8 to 3.
September 2 Sasaki was not very stable. He lost 2 hits, and a runner almost made it home, but was killed. And with the Mariners winning in the end 1 to 0 to the Baltimore Orioles, Sasaki earned his 41st save.
September 1 The Mariners was leading by 2 runs when Sasaki came to pitch in the final inning. He took 3 outs, the last one from Cal Ripken Jr. and the team managed to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 6 to 4. For Sasaki it's his 40th save.
August 25 Sasaki was on in the 9th inning to face the Cleveland Indians with the game 2 to 2, a tie. But after 2 outs, Sasaki complained of a pain in his right thigh and left the game. The game in the end went into the 11th inning, and the Mariners clinching it 3 to 2.
August 21 The Mariners adding one more run, just before Sasaki's turn came to pitch. He took out 3, and finished the game for his 39th save to lead in the save standing. The Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers 4 to 1.
August 18 Sasaki came on in the 9th inning. Lost a run from walking a batter. But he smoothly took outs thereafter, and clinched in 38th save in the 7 to 6 game over the New York Yankees.
August 14 In the 11th inning, Sasaki pitched. The Mariners at that point was ahead of the Boston Red Sox 6 to 3. Sasaki managed to help the team win and earned his 37th save. He tied with last year's record.
August 12 Sasaki was a failure in the past 2 games. But this time, he finished the game all right. The Mariners defeated the Chicago White Sox 2 to 1. Sasaki picked up his 36th save.
August 10 Sasaki was on in the 9th inning when the Mariners were leading 3 runs. But he was out of control. The Mariners lost to the Chicago White Sox in the end 6 to 8. Sasaki took his 4th loss.
August 5 The Mariners were doing well, at least until the 3rd inning, taking a 12 run lead. But little by little, the Cleveland Indians accummulated runs. And in the 9th inning, at 2 outs and 2 runners on base, Sasaki was suddenly called to pitch. He lost 2 straight hits. The Indians caught up. And in the 11th inning, the Indians finished the game 15 to 14.
August 3 Sasaki pitched again this day, and did a good job too. His team won 2 to 1 over the Cleveland Indians, and Sasaki gained his 35th save.
August 2 It's been a while for Sasaki to get to pitch in a game appropriate for him to earn another save. He came on in the 9th inning and closed it to mark his 34th save. It's also his career 300th save, including those he chalked up in Japan. The Mariners won 2 to 1 over the Detroit Tigers.
July 23 Sasaki pitched from the 8th inning. And he was able to finish the game to give the Mariners a 3 to 2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Sasaki won his 33rd save.
July 21 The Mariners was ahead by 3 runs when Sasaki came to pitch. And he closed the game safely to earn his 32nd save. The Mariners won 6 to 3 over the Minnesota Twins.
July 18 Sasaki came on when the team took the lead in the 10th inning. He struck out 2. And collected his 31st save. His team ended up in winning the 10th inning game over the Kansas City Royals 2 to 0.
July 14 The team was winning 3 to 2 over the San Francisco Giants when Sasaki was summoned to pitch. And he closed the game smoothly to pick up his 30th save. .
ALL STAR GAME on July 10 Ichiro of the Mariners was the first on the plate in his home ground Safeco Field. He faced Randy Johnson. And he swung hard the ball, which was caught by first baseman way off the base. The ball was passed to Randy who was beaten by Ichiro in the race to first base. Ichiro also stole base, contributing to the excitement of the game. Sasaki closed the game perfectly in the final inning. The American League defeated the National League 4 to 1. Japanese fans were no doubt delighted that the game was started by a Japanese and ended by a Japanese.
July 2 The Mariners caught up with the Texas Rangers in the 9th inning with Ichiro's 2 run homer. And Sasaki closed the game in the 10th inning with the Mariners winning 9 to 7. He collected his 29t save.
June 30 Sasaki appeared in the final inning. He kept the Anahaeim Angels from scoring and won his 28th save to give the Mariners a 5 to 3 win.
June 24 Sasaki was this time the only Japanese on the field. His teammate Ichiro was taking the day off. The Mariners were 4 runs ahead of the Anaheim Angels when he came to pitch with 2 runners on base. He closed the game all right. And he collected his 27th save. The Mariners won 7 to 3.
June 20 The Mariners was one run ahead of the Oakland Athletics in the 9th inning. And so of course, Sasaki was called to pitch. But he gave up a 3 run homer to lose the game. The Mariners lost 4 to 6. Sasaki succumbed to his 3rd loss.
June 19 It's been quite a while since Sasaki got to pitch. Well, his turn came in the 9th inning when his team led the Oakland Athletics by only one run. He finished all 3 batters, and took his 26th save in a 8 to 7 game.
June 12 Sasaki came on in the final inning. He gave up a hit but that was all. He saved the very close game of 10 to 9, winning a save from the Colorado Rockies. It's his 25th.
June 10 Sasaki hadn't been pitching in a game for a while, so he came up to pitch although the Mariners were way ahead of the San Diego Padres. And Sasaki may have actually been rusty. He gave up a home run. Still the Mariners defeated the San Diego Padres 8 to 1.
June 5 The Mariners were ahead buy only 1 run, when Sasaki had to face stars such as Ivan Rodriguez. But he managed to finish the final inning safely. And his team won 5 to 4 over the Texas Rangers. Sasaki gained his 24th save.
June 3 The game was at 2 outs with bases loaded when Sasaki was summoned to pitch. He saved the team from losing runs. And not only did he clinch his 23rd save, the Marlins broke its team record of winning streaks making it 11 in the 8 to 4 game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
June 2 Sasaki closed the game smoothly again. He has topped both leagues in the number of saves on the day with 22. The Mariners defeated the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7 to 4.
May 31/b> Sasaki pitched the final inning, giving the Mariners a 2 to 1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. He gained his 21st save. The team clinched its 8th straight win.
May 29/b> Sasaki this time did not spoil the game. He pitched the final inning safely, and the Mariners defeated the Baltimore Orioles 3 to 2. The win gave Sasaki his 20th save.
May 27 The Mariners were ahead by a run in the 9th inning, when Sasaki pitched. But, he succumbed to a homerun. And the game went into extra innings. The Mariners clinched that game in the 11th inning 5 to 4.
May 25 Sasaki finished the 9th inning, and earned his 19th save. The Mariners won 9 to 6 over the Kansas City Royals.
May 23 Sasaki was called to pitch in the 8th inning, with bases loaded with Minnesota Twins players. And he was able to finish the inning, and in fact the game to collect his 18th save. The Mariners defeated the Minnesota Twins 5 to 4.
May 19 It was not a good day for Japanese fans. Ichiro could not hit, thus ending his hitting streak record, and Sasaki who came on in the 9th inning with the Mariners ahead 1 to 0, lost a run that inning and the next inning. He succumbed to his 2nd loss, and the Mariners were defeated 2 to 1 to the New York Yankees.
May 13 Sasaki was on in the final inning to close the 7 to 5 over the Toronto Blue Jays. And he clinched his 17th save.
May 10 In the final inning, Sasaki was on. He was doubled by the Boston Red Sox, but managed to take the next 3 batters out. By the way, Sasaki was interfered by a laser beam aimed at his eye. Fortunately, it did not affect his performance as a result. The Mariners won 5 to 2, and Sasaki, his 16th save.
May 9 Sasaki did not have to pitch much. With one pitch, a double play, to finish the game 10 to 5. The Boston Red Sox lost. For Sasaki, the game gave him his 15th save.
May 5 Sasaki came on at a crucial point in the 8th inning with runners on first and third. But he was safely able to take the final out of that inning, and finished the game. The Mariners won 7 to 5 over the Toronto Blue Jays. Ans Sasaki earned his 14th save.
May 3 The Mariners were ahead by 7 runs against the Boston Red Sox. But since Sasaki has not pitched for a while, he was on in the 9th inning just to give him practice. The Mariners won 10 to 3 win over the Boston Red Sox.
April 28 Sasaki's chance to challenge the April record came in the 9th inning. It was a breeze for him to take 3 White Sox players out, The Mariners clinched its 9th straight win in the 8 to 5 game while Sasaki picked up his 13th save.
April 27 The team had a big lead over the White Box. But the situation became shaky when in the 9th inning, the opponent filled in the bases. And so Sasaki had to come on. He closed the game successfully, clinching his 12th save. This number has tied with the monthly record for April . The Mariners won 8 to 3 over the White Sox.
April 25 The Mariners were leading the New York Yankees 7 to 5 when Sasaki came on in the 9th inning. It was a smooth ride, and he clinched already his 11th save.
April 24 The New York Yankees were ahead by 3 runs, initially. The Mariners not only caught up, but also reversed the game. And in the 9th, Sasaki was summoned to pitch. He needed only 10 pitches to finish the inning. The Mariners won 7 to 5. And Sasaki earned his 10th save.
April 20 Sasaki was on the final inning. This time he took out 3, and managed to earn another save--his 9th. And the Mariners won 4 to 1 against the Angels.
April 19 The Mariners were leading by 2 runs when Sasaki came on in the final inning. But his first pitch was homered. He was able to take the rest out, to give the Mariners a 3 to 2 win over the Anaheim Angels. And he presented himself with his 8th save.
April 17 Sasaki managed to take out 3 batters of the Texas Rangers to gain his 7th save in a 6 to 4 game.
April 16 Sasaki came on in the final inning. He gave up 2 runs. Still, his team was leading the Texas Rangers enough to win 9 to 7. Sasaki did not gain a save.
April 14 This time, Sasaki with 10 pitches took one out, and collected his 6th save. The Mariners defeated the Angels 2 to 1.
April 13 It was a devastating end for Sasaki, He gave up a 2 run homer to the Anaheim Angels in the final ending. Sasaki succumbed to his first loss in a 3 to 4 game.
April 11 In the final inning, Sasaki pitched against the Oakland Athletics and closed the game 3 to 0. He collected his 5th save.
April 10 Sasaki had to pitch more than usual. He was on the mound for 1 1/3 innings. And helped the team win over the Oakland Athletics 5 to 1.
April 7 The Mariners gave Sasaki a comfortable 3 run lead in the final inning. But it turned out that Sasaki gave up 2 runs to the Texas Rangers. And so the team barely won 6 to 5, and Sasaki taking his 3rd save.
April 6 Sasaki closed a sensational game. Ichiro slammed a tie breaking 2 run homer in the 10th inning. It was in the bottom of that inning that Sasaki came up to pitch against the Texas Rangers. Although his control of the ball to Ivan Rodriguez did not start well, going to 3 balls, he in the end closed the game safely. Sasaki earned his second save in the 9 to 7 game.
April 2 In the season's opener, the Mariners succeeded in reversing the game in the 8th inning against the Oakland Athletics. And Sasaki was summoned to pitch the final inning. Jose Ortiz hit the ball to center, but Jason Giambi plopped a fly to the left field. And finally, the game ended with a double play. It was a 5 to 4 win for the Mariners, and Sasaki's first save. Ichiro, who made his debut also contributed to the victory.
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