Yahoo Sports AM: The Sasaki Sweepstakes

Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on everything sports related. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning.

Heads

13-0: The Cavaliers won again, fending off a depleted 76ers team improve to 13-0. One more win and they will tie the 2002-03 Mavericks and the 1957-58 Celtics for the fourth-best start in league history.

The rise of women’s sports: The Premier Lacrosse League launches a women’s competition in February; the six teams of the PWHL will be added to EA Sports’ NHL 25 next month.

Pop health update: Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke on November 2 The Spurs announced this on Wednesday. He is expected to make a full recovery, although there is no timeline for his return to the sidelines.

Richardson replaces Flacco: Anthony Richardson does back as the Colts starting QBand that job is his for the rest of the season, according to head coach Shane Steichen.

He did it again: LeBron James recorded his third triple-double in a row (35-12-14) to lead the Lakers to their third straight victory. He will be forty in six weeks.

---

Coming to MLB: The Next Japanese Sensation

Attention MLB fans:It’s time to get to know Rōki Sasaki. The 23-year-old Japanese standout is set to be drafted this offseason and your favorite team has a real shot at landing him.

Japan’s next phenomenon: The young righty, who won last year’s World Baseball Classic alongside Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, has a 2.10 ERA with 505 strikeouts (against just 88 walks) over 394.2 innings over the past four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Japanese NPB.

• You may remember hearing about him in 2022 when he pitched a perfect game of 19 strikeouts, then followed that up with eight perfect innings and another fourteen strikeouts in his next start.

• His fastest recorded throw, 160.5 km/h, ties Ohtani for the hardest ever thrown by a Japanese player.

What makes him so good? Sasaki’s three-pitch arsenal includes a four-seam fastball that would be among the MLB’s fastest pitches, a slider that’s good but needs some work, and a splitter that’s, well, Let Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz explain:

If Sasaki’s fastball is a unicorn, his splitter is a unicorn that breathes fire, speaks five languages ​​and cooks a world-class risotto. There really is nothing like it.

The only concern? Sustainability. He’s never topped 130 innings in a season, and given his age and how hard he throws, arm surgery is likely a possibility.

Sasaki’s Unique Situation: While Yamamoto, another highly touted prospect, signed with the Dodgers for $325 million after being drafted last season, Sasaki’s age means he won’t cost more than $7 million.

• The post process still works the same: teams will have 45 days to negotiate with him after he is officially posted.

• But because Sasaki is under 25, he is subject to the same rules as free agents in places like the Dominican Republic, meaning teams can only use their international bonus money (about $7 million this year) to sign him.

What they say: Sasaki’s decision to post early and forego hundreds of millions of dollars is rare, but not unprecedented. In 2017, Ohtani himself was posted for a paltry $2.3 million bonus at the age of 23, a reward that Jake and Jordan Shusterman discuss in their latest episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast.

• Jordan: “Sasaki has given us a scenario where it is not about who can pay him, but about where he wants to play.”

• Jake: “The precedent of the Ohtani situation is relevant here. Because when we remember that time in our lives when it felt like everyone had a chance to get (him), it’s so rare.”

What to watch: Sasaki’s decision may depend on when he is placed.

• If it is before December 1, teams must use their current bonus pool, and only the Dodgers and Orioles still have more than 2 million dollars left.

• If it is after December 1, the 45-day period will allow them to sign him when the pool is replenished on January 15, putting all 30 teams on equal financial footing.

So who could sign him? All 30 teams would like to get involved MLB’s No. 2 free agent for such an affordable amount, but some clearly prefer to reel in the young ace. Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers top the list.

---

Chart of the day: We’ll be back soon

Sports fans have returned to stadiums post-COVID – and then some. So much for that whole “turnout may never fully recover” spiel.

---

Photo gallery

San Antonio— Victor Wembanyama dropped a career-high 50 points in Wednesday’s 139-130 win over the Wizards, becoming the fourth-youngest player in NBA history (20 years, 314 days) with a 50 (Brandon Jennings, LeBron James, Devin Booker).

Milwaukee— Giannis Antetokounmpo defeated Wemby with an NBA season high of 59 points in the Bucks’ comeback, they beat the Pistons 127-120 (OT), falling behind by 18 points in the second half.

Belleair, FL — Caitlin Clark drew a huge crowd at Wednesday’s Pro-Am at The Annika, but the 16-handicap won’t be switching sports soon after almost hitting a spectator with an errant tee shot.

Dallas— Mike Tyson, 58, and Jake Paul, 27, met face-to-face during a press conference ahead of their fight this weekend, streamed live on Netflix.

---

NFL Power Rankings: Top teams compete this week

Week 11 is here, and it’s glorious: Six of the top seven teams in our power rankings face off over the next four days.

• This evening: No. 7 commanders* at No. 5 Eagles

• Sunday: No. 2 Chiefs** at No. 3 Bills

• Sunday: No. 4 Ravens at No. 6 Steelers

Historical slate: This marks the first time in NFL history that Week 11 will feature three games between teams with seven wins.

*Heisman gauntlet: There are 11 Heisman winners in the NFL. Two are on the Commanders (Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota), and with tonight’s game against Philly and DeVonta Smith, Washington will have played all nine others (Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Jameis Winston, Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson, Bryce Young, Caleb Williams and Smith).

**Undefeated underdogs: The Chiefs are underdogs (+2.5 at BetMGM) against the Bills, marking only the fourth time in the Super Bowl era that a 9-0 (or better) team is not the favorite. Which begs the question: Are the Chiefs the worst 9-0 team ever in the NFL?

---

November 14, 1970: Marshall’s tragic crash

54 years ago today, the plane with the Marshall football team on board crashed just miles from its final destination in West Virginia after returning from a game against East Carolina, killing all 75 souls on board.

• The deceased included 37 team members and eight staff members, as well as 25 boosters, two pilots, two flight attendants and the charter coordinator.

• It is recognized as the deadliest sports-related tragedy in American history.

What if? Due to the proximity of most of their opponents, this was Marshall’s only scheduled flight all season. And they considered canceling it after Wichita State’s football team crashed six weeks earlier, killing 31.

Annual commemoration: Every year on this day, a fountain on Marshall’s campus with a tulip with 75 rods – one for each victim – is ceremoniously turned off before being turned back on each spring.

---

Watchlist: USMNT vs. Jamaica

The USMNT faces Jamaica tonight in Kingston (8 p.m. ET, TNT) in the first leg of their CONCACAF Nations League* quarter-final.

Poch’s competitive debut: This is the first competitive match for new manager Mauricio Pochettino, whose 25-person selection features players from clubs from nine countries.

More to watch:

• N.F.L.: Commanders at Eagles (8:15 p.m., scoop) … Washington (7-3) and Philly (7-2) are battling for first place in the NFC East.

• NBA: Outsiders at Jazz (9 p.m., NBA)

• Tennis: ATP finals (8:00 am, Tennis)

• NCAAF: ECU at Tulsa (7:30 p.m., ESPN)

• LPGA: The Annika (10 a.m., golf) … 18 of the 25 best golfers in the world compete in the penultimate event of the season.

*Who’s participating: The USMNT are three-time defending champions of the annual tournament featuring the 41 CONCACAF members. The remaining quarter-finals: Panama vs. Costa Rica, Canada vs. Suriname, Mexico vs. Honduras.

---

NFL trivia

Whoever wins tonight’s Commanders-Eagles game will be in first place in the NFC East.

Ask: Without looking, can you name the other three top-place teams in the NFC?

Answer below.

---

Guaranteed salaries for recruits? Welcome to the new normal

Schools are handing out this week NIL contracts recruits with guaranteed salaries and even buyouts. Welcome to the new normal.

Behind the scenes: College leaders are finalizing the third party (Deloitte) to operate the new NIL clearinghouse, which is tasked with monitoring booster deals. But experts continue to question whether it is legal. “I have no idea how they’re going to do this.”

Read the full story.

---

Trivia answer: Cardinals (6-4) in NFC West, Lions (8-1) in NFC North, Falcons (6-4) in NFC South

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AMour daily newsletter that keeps you informed of everything sports related. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox every weekday morning.