LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- Highly touted Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki made a strong U.S. college baseball debut Saturday, driving in four runs in Stanford University's 13-1 rout of California State University, Fullerton.

The left-handed hitter, who hit 140 home runs during his high school years in Japan, including those hit in practice games, went 2-for-5 in the season-opening doubleheader's first game, which was called after seven innings.

Opening day was pushed back by a day due to poor field conditions at Goodwin Field in Fullerton following heavy rain in southern California.

Sasaki chose to attend Stanford after skipping Nippon Professional Baseball's draft in the fall of 2023.

His father, Hiroshi, is a renowned high school baseball manager who coached current major league stars Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi during their times at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture.