MIAMI -- In the baseball-crazed country of Japan, representation on the Dodgers and Cubs make them the must-watch Major League ballclubs in Nippon. One fan, Richard Sasaki from Tokyo, is the exception. Sasaki, 27, follows every Marlins game despite living nearly 7,500 miles away from Miami and with no ties to the city. Sasaki, whose favorite players are Sandy Alcantara and Kyle Stowers, has the goal of getting people in Japan on the Marlins’ bandwagon. It all started 10 years ago while studying abroad in Hawaii, where Sasaki was struck by the fervor among fans leading up to a National Football League game. When he returned home, NFL Japan hosted an event and he won a promo. “I could choose any merch from the NFL, and I saw the one logo has a Hawaiian vibe -- that was the Miami Dolphins,” Sasaki recalled over Zoom. That started Sasaki’s love of Miami sports, though his knowledge dated back to Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki's Marlins tenure from 2015-17. Until then, he had never heard of the Marlins -- or the city of Miami for that matter. Sasaki enjoyed that era, which saw Ichiro collect his 3,000th hit. Like many Japanese fans, however, Sasaki watched games that featured his fellow countrymen and didn't cheer for a specific team. During Mookie Betts’ 2014 rookie season in Boston, the Red Sox featured right-handers Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa. The Yankees sent Masahiro Tanaka to the mound every five days. |
Baseball had always been a part of Sasaki's life. He held a part-time job helping the uriko, or Japanese beer vendors, around Meiji Jingu Stadium. He also was a rickshaw (a two-wheeled cart) tour guide. “I grew up as a baseball fan,” said Sasaki, who played softball for five years. “That was my favorite sport. My dad woke up early, like 3 a.m., to watch the baseball alone, to watch some Japanese players’ games on national TV. I was surprised. ‘Why are you waking up at 3 a.m. to watch some sports? Is it so good?’” Turns out it is. Now it's like father like son. Since last October, Sasaki has chronicled his decade-long routine under the handle @richardfromtokyo on TikTok and Instagram. Two months later, he went viral for highlighting his Miami Dolphins fandom: eating miso soup and white rice and praying at his local temple. He now has over 19,000 followers on Instagram and more than 177,000 likes on TikTok. “I always do the same things for like 10 or 15 years: waking up early for the game, football, baseball, whatever,” Sasaki said. “And one of my friends sent me a message: ‘You should start Tik Tok or Instagram. This is amazing. You should make some video,’ and I sent them.” Following football, basketball or hockey -- even University of Miami athletics -- is one thing. A 162-game baseball season is another. Sasaki doesn’t let the 13- or 14-hour time difference (depending on the time of year) deter him. He recently subscribed to MLB.TV to watch the games, and he keeps to a routine. |
Due to Spring Training’s early start times, that meant going to bed around 8:30 p.m. and waking up between 3-4 a.m. After the game, he worked out, showered and then headed to his job in sales manufacturing. After work, he did laundry and went to bed. While watching the games, Sasaki is only a little bit superstitious. His videos show him visiting the local temple to pray for his teams. He usually snacks on mochi to stay awake. He cycles through a 2017 orange T-shirt (home games), a 2017 black T-shirt (road games) and a throwback Florida Marlins T-shirt (every Sunday/Monday in Japan) with a trio of caps. Sasaki splurged on his selection via Japanese eBay and vintage shops around Tokyo for around $200-300. “It’s easy to pick up U.S. vintage things, and there are tons of U.S. vintage shops in Tokyo, like 20-30, so if you walk around or search that hard, it’ll be easy to get one,” Sasaki said. Two years ago, Sasaki obtained a work visa and chose to be based out of Toronto for one primary reason: the ability to pull off his ultimate Miami sports fan weekend in September 2024. Sasaki caught a game at loanDepot park between the Phillies and Marlins on Sept. 6, attended a Miami Hurricanes game that Saturday, a Miami Dolphins game that Sunday and visited Key Largo that Monday before flying back to Toronto. Sasaki's next trip is already in the works, and if things go his way, it would top the previous one. “A Marlins playoff game. That would be my dream,” Sasaki said. “I will fly to Miami this year, October for the Miami Hurricanes facing FSU. It’s a home game, so that would be October. I'm hoping. Many fans DM me, ‘This is the year. We have the pitching.'” |
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Pete Fairbanks joined Intentional Talk to discuss living in Florida, his interests off the field and more. Watch >> |
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The Marlins honored Javier Sanoja prior to Saturday’s game at loanDepot park with an on-field ceremony. Chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and manager Clayton McCullough handed Sanoja his 2025 Rawlings Gold Glove Award for National League utility players. President of business Caroline O’Connor then presented a framed base from the World Baseball Classic. Pinch-runner Sanoja stole second, then scored the winning run for Venezuela in the Classic final against the United States. |
• It was vintage Sandy Alcantara on Opening Day. • Christopher Morel was the latest Marlin to land on the injured list. Connor Norby will be the primary first baseman in Morel's absence and prospect Deyvison De Los Santos will also see some action. More >> • MLB.com colleague Brent Maguire wrote about why the Marlins will be the surprise pitching staff this season in the Majors. • Kyle Stowers is progressing with baseball activities and anxious for a return. More >>
• Eury Pérez grew up in his 2026 debut. • MLB.com colleague Perla Paredes detailed the history made between the Rockies and Marlins pitch-calling from both dugouts. |
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