TOKYO (Kyodo) — Highly touted Stanford University hitter Rintaro Sasaki made an impressive debut in the MLB Draft League, one of the top amateur summer leagues in the United States, with a home run on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old left-hander, who skipped the Japanese professional baseball team's draft to play in U.S. college baseball, hit 2-for-5 with three RBIs in the Trenton Thunder's 11-1 win over the Frederick Keys of Maryland.

Sasaki, batting fourth for the Trenton, New Jersey-based team, hit a two-run blast to right to give Trenton a 3-1 lead in the third inning.

He also hit a one-run single in the sixth inning at Nymeo Field.

The 184-centimeter-tall, 113-kilogram first baseman hit 140 home runs during his high school years in Japan, including those in practice games.

His father Hiroshi is a famous high school baseball manager who coached Shohei Ohtani during the two-way star's time at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture.

The MLB Draft League is a six-team league with a split amateur and professional season format.

The first half of the season is about eligible players looking to increase their reputation before the annual MLB Draft in July.