Japanese standout Rintaro Sasaki is set to make his US debut today, playing first base for the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League. Sasaki, who hit a record-setting 140 homers in his high school career in Japan, is a rising freshman at Stanford University. Sasaki spent the spring taking classes and working out at Stanford, though he was ineligible to play.

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On This Date in Mets History

2005: Trailing the Angels by a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, Marlon Anderson ties the game with a pinch-hit, inside-the-park home run. After the Angels re-take the lead in the 10th inning, Cliff Floyd drills a two-out, two-strike three-run homer to give the Mets a 5-3 walk-off victory.

2008: After the Diamondbacks erase a 3-0 deficit on a Mark Reynolds three-run homer in the ninth inning, Carlos Beltrán hits a walk-off two-run homer to snap the Mets’ five-game losing streak. Claudio Vargas gets the win on the mound, dancing out of trouble in a scoreless inning of relief.

Birthdays: Steve Cohen (68), José Reyes (41)

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Rintaro Sasaki, a Japanese high school phenom and the potential No. 1 pick in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Draft, officially decided to forego the NPB on Tuesday, signing a national letter of intent to play college baseball with Stanford, the university announced. 

Sasaki will graduate from Hanmaki-Higashi High School, the same school Shohei Ohtani attended, in March and join the Cardinal for the 2025 season.

Sasaki, a 6-foot, 250-pound first baseman, had a batting average of over .400 and a Japanese high school record 140 home runs during his career.

As a result of the choice to go abroad, Sasaki will be eligible to debut in the MLB at an earlier age than if he stayed in the NPB, potentially pioneering a new path for Japanese youngsters to join the American ranks.

“He may be the most high-profile international prospect to play college baseball in the United States in a long time,” Stanford Head Coach David Esquer said in a press release. “His power bat plays right into our style of play, and we look forward to him contributing immediately to help us achieve our goals of competing for and winning national titles.”

Stanford has made three consecutive trips to the College World Series. 

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Birthdays: Tyler Clippard (39), Kelly Stinnett (54)

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