Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

L.A.'s Sasaki gets quick hook: Didn't have 'stuff'

Written by 
Published in Baseball
Sunday, 30 March 2025 05:11

LOS ANGELES -- Roki Sasaki's career with the Dodgers is not off to a sensational start.

For a young pitcher who has been a dominant force at every other step in his meteoric baseball career, that's both a surprise and a challenge.

Sasaki's Dodger Stadium debut ended in the second inning Saturday night after the touted right-hander again struggled with his control against the Detroit Tigers. He issued four walks and got only five outs while throwing 61 pitches to 12 batters before manager Dave Roberts pulled him.

Sasaki made his major league debut last week against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, where he walked five in three innings while throwing just 25 strikes among 56 pitches. Back in Los Angeles, he allowed two runs and three singles while throwing 32 strikes and repeatedly falling behind the Tigers early in counts.

Sasaki didn't blame nervousness for his wildness, although his manager and catcher said it had to be a factor.

"I felt like I was able to get into the game pretty well, without any nerves," Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton. "I just didn't feel like I had the stuff today."

It's far too early for the Dodgers to worry seriously about Sasaki, but the 23-year-old prospect touted as Japan's most impressive young pitcher in several years has not yet found his groove with Los Angeles.

Aside from control issues for a pitcher who consistently hit the strike zone throughout his tenure with the Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki isn't getting consistency from his splitter, which can be unhittable at its best.

"We have full faith in him," catcher Will Smith said. "He's a super-talented pitcher. He knows what he's doing. He's pitched on the biggest stages and stuff like that. So back to the drawing board. Have a good bullpen this week, and I expect him to come back out in five, six days and be dominant."

A crowd of 51,788 roared for Sasaki before his first pitch at Chavez Ravine, but he struggled to settle in from the start of his 41-pitch first inning. Detroit had five baserunners and scored twice. Manuel Margot got credit for an RBI single on a 30-foot squib, and Trey Sweeney drew a 10-pitch walk with the bases loaded.

"Dodger Stadium is intimidating," Smith said. "There's four decks here. It's loud. It's fun. It takes a lot to be able to perform here. Again, we have full confidence in Roki. He'll settle in. He'll start pitching better. He'll start dominating soon. It'll be really good for us."

Sasaki issued two more walks in the second, and Roberts decided to end this debut before it got ugly.

"All he's known is success, and so I think that he's certainly upset, disappointed," Roberts said. "But you've got to be a pro and get back to work, and it's not the first time that the starting pitcher has had two bad outings. This is all a learning curve."

Not everything was poor against the Tigers for Sasaki, who blew a 97 mph fastball past Riley Greene for one of his two strikeouts. Zach McKinstry's leadoff single was the Tigers' only hard-hit ball.

But it's clearly not what Sasaki had in mind when he decided to leap stateside with the defending World Series champion Dodgers, who have said from the start that Sasaki's development is far from finished.

"I don't expect myself to be able to fix everything in a short period of time," Sasaki said. "With that being said, though, I am going to be pitching every week, so I do expect as a major league pitcher to be able to put up quality outings. But it's something I can expect myself to work on throughout."

Jack Dreyer replaced Sasaki and got out of the second-inning jam, striking out Kerry Carpenter on four pitches. Los Angeles' formidable lineup and bullpen easily covered for Sasaki's struggles, powering to a 7-3 win and keeping the Dodgers (5-0) perfect to start the season.

Sasaki's next start is next weekend at Philadelphia. He will have time to work on his issues in the upcoming weeks, because the Dodgers have enough days off in April to keep Sasaki on a comfortable rest schedule.

Although the club has no firm timetable for Shohei Ohtani to join the rotation, the National League MVP threw a bullpen Saturday as he ramps up toward a possible return to the mound in May. When Ohtani returns, the Dodgers likely will go to a six-man rotation.

Read 12 times

Soccer

Rooney considered leaving Man Utd for Barcelona

Rooney considered leaving Man Utd for Barcelona

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWayne Rooney has revealed he came close to joining Barcelona in 201...

Fernandes 'going nowhere this summer' - Amorim

Fernandes 'going nowhere this summer' - Amorim

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBruno Fernandes will not be allowed to leave Manchester United this...

Liverpool not affected by Trent speculation - Slot

Liverpool not affected by Trent speculation - Slot

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLiverpool head coach Arne Slot has said he is not affected by specu...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Celtics set franchise record with 6-0 road trip

Celtics set franchise record with 6-0 road trip

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The best road trip in Boston history has given th...

Pels shut down Zion, McCollum for rest of season

Pels shut down Zion, McCollum for rest of season

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe New Orleans Pelicans are shutting down Zion Williamson and CJ M...

Baseball

Sources: Red Sox LHP Crochet gets $170M deal

Sources: Red Sox LHP Crochet gets $170M deal

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLeft-hander Garrett Crochet and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement...

Oddities, chants mark A's debut in Sacramento

Oddities, chants mark A's debut in Sacramento

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Major League Baseball arrived in this ci...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated