The Shot Heard 'Round the World: Homer Off Roki Sasaki Gives White Sox Prospect International Fame

Japanese media wanted to learn more about Kyle Teel after he drove a pitch from the Dodgers' Roki Sasaki over the fence in batting practice on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) during workouts at Camelback Ranch in Glendake, Ariz., on Feb. 25, 2025. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It was the batting practice home run that was felt all the way in Japan.

That ball was hit Tuesday by Kyle Teel of the Chicago White Sox, MLB Pipeline’s No. 32 prospect, who sent a pitch by No. 1 prospect Roki Sasaki over the fence. It came in a batting practice session with the Los Angeles Dodgers at their shared facility in Glendale, Ariz.

The Dodgers signed Sasaki, already a superstar in Japanese baseball, in the offseason, and much is expected of the 23-year-old right-hander as he prepares to step into the vaunted Los Angeles rotation.

Kyle Teel off Roki Sasaki 👀 pic.twitter.com/UhCRmkvJvp

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 25, 2025

Japanese media abound at the Dodgers spring training site, and they flocked to Teel after the session. It’s likely the baseball fans in Japan didn’t know about Teel before, but they do now.

Teel, a 23-year-old catcher from New Jersey, went to work on Tuesday not expecting to create an international stir. He didn’t know he’d be facing Sasaki in advance.

“I didn’t know it was going to be with him until he hopped on the mound,” Teel told reporters Wednesday, per MLB.com. “It was cool, you know. Just getting work in, getting things done on the back fields, working on my ball flight that day. And it ended up being good ball flight.

“I’ve never faced him before, but really good pitcher. I’ve seen his stuff on Instagram -- really good pitcher for Team Japan. It was really cool facing him.”

Teel is a non-roster invitee to spring training, one of four players the White Sox acquired from the Boston Red Sox in a trade for pitcher Garrett Crochet.

In 2024, he split the season between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, batting .288 with 13 home runs and 78 RBIs. Speedy for a catcher, he stole 12 bases.

Teel currently is assigned to Triple-A Charlotte, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in a White Sox uniform at some point this summer. MLB Pipeline projects him to be major league-ready in 2025.

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