Roki Sasaki Tipped as New Dodgers Closer
Listen to the story
Roki Sasaki plays baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is from Japan. He is a pitcher. American news says he may become the new closer for the team.
A closer is a special pitcher. He plays at the end of a game. He tries to stop the other team from scoring. Right now, Diaz is the closer. But news reports say Sasaki could take his job. One report says he is the "most likely choice."
The Dodgers have another problem too. Shohei Ohtani is a famous two-way player. He can pitch and also hit. But right now, the team cannot use him in both ways at the same time.
The Dodgers must play 13 games in a row. This is called a stretch. It is very hard for the team. They only have six starting pitchers and seven relief pitchers to use.
The team must use their players carefully. They need good pitchers for every game. Sasaki could help the team a lot if he becomes closer.
Vocabulary15 words
- pitcher
- a player who throws the ball
- closer
- a pitcher who plays at the end of a game
- two-way player
- a player who can pitch and hit
- stretch
- many games played one after another
- starting pitcher
- a pitcher who begins the game
- relief pitcher
- a pitcher who comes in after the starter
- report
- news information
- choice
- an option you can pick
- team
- a group of players
- game
- a match in sports
- score
- to get points in a game
- dilemma
- a hard problem with two choices
- manage
- to control or handle something
- famous
- known by many people
- careful
- doing something with attention
Quiz
Answer key
1. A pitcher who plays at the end of the game 2. A two-way player who can pitch and hit 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Roki Sasaki plays baseball for the Los Angeles _____. He is from Japan. He is a pitcher. American news says he may become the new _____ for the team.
A closer is a special pitcher. He plays at the end of a _____. He tries to stop the other team from scoring. Right now, _____ is the closer. But news reports say Sasaki could take his job. One report says he is the "most likely _____."
The Dodgers have another problem too. Shohei Ohtani is a famous two-way _____. He can pitch and also hit. But right now, the team cannot use him in both ways at the same time.
The Dodgers must play _____ games in a row. This is called a stretch. It is very hard for the team. They only have _____ starting pitchers and seven relief pitchers to use.