HANAMAKI, Japan (AP) — Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki will sign with the Miami Marlins and forgo a professional career in his home country.
The Marlins selected Sasaki out of Stanford in the eighth round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft last week, but the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks also selected him in the first round of the Nippon Professional Baseball draft.
The difficult decision had Sasaki fighting back tears during a news conference in his hometown on Sunday.
“More than anyone else, I believe I understand my own limitations and how much I still need to improve,” Sasaki said. “Even if this path ultimately turns out to be the wrong choice, I do not want to live with regret. Rather than defining my life by whether I succeed or fail, I want to define it by whether I had the courage to take on a challenge. With that belief in mind, I ultimately decided to pursue this path."
Sasaki played under Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani’s father, Toru, and is Japan's all-time high school home run leader with 140. He made waves out of high school, opting out of the Nippon league's draft to play at Stanford.
The 21-year-old first baseman played two seasons at Stanford, hitting .262 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs as a sophomore last year.
“I went back and forth on this decision until the very end," Sasaki said. "Ever since I chose to attend Stanford, I have always had a strong desire to challenge myself in the United States. In the end, that desire won out. I felt that I wanted to see how far I could go by challenging myself in America, and that feeling became stronger than anything else.”
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FILE - Stanford's Rintaro Sasaki reacts as he runs the bases after his two-run home run during the sixth inning of an NCAA college baseball game against the Notre Dame, April 20, 2025, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
NEW DELHI, India (AP) — Supporters of India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement faced police batons and tear gas as they tried to march to Parliament to demand the education minister’s resignation. The Cockroach Janta Party emerged in May after a Supreme Court judge compared unemployed youth to “cockroaches.” Leaks of exam papers crucial to the future of many young people had sparked public anger. The movement has taken on political weight and called for more widespread reforms. Senior officials have taken a hard line against the movement.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Police stop supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A supporter of the Cockroach Janta Party reacts during clashes with police as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Police use batons to disperse supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A policeman fires tear gas to disperse supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Injured supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party lie on the ground during clashes with police as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Policewomen detain a supporter of the Cockroach Janta Party as she along with others attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
An injured police officer is taken for treatment after being hurt during clashes with supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party attempting to march toward India's Parliament in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Police detains a supporter of the Cockroach Janta Party as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party try to neutralize a tear gas shell fired by police as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Prakash Singh)
Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party shout anti government slogans as they they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Police detains a supporter of the Cockroach Janta Party as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party carry an injured protester during a clash with the police as they they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party try to neutralize a tear gas shell fired by police as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Prakash Singh)
Supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party scuffle with police as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Police use batons to disperse supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party as they attempt to march toward India's Parliament, demanding the resignation of the education minister, in New Delhi, India, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
