Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki got his first taste of Major League Baseball on Wednesday, pitching for the team in Japan. The Dodgers improved to 2-0 on the season with a 6-3 win in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs. The club swept the Tokyo Series.
Los Angeles proved again it is a force in MLB this season. The Dodgers posted seven hits, including three home runs in the game. Shohei Ohtani blasted one out of the park, much to the delight of fans. Sasaki must have loved that.
Sasaki also certainly didn’t mind playing in front of his fans in Japan, his home country. Here are some insights into how the rookie pitched in his first regular season Dodgers game.
Roki Sasaki gave a rocky start in his Dodgers debut
Sasaki didn’t exactly dominate in his first outing. The Dodgers hurler worked three innings, and allowed one earned run. He threw 56 pitches including 25 strikes. The hurler is a bit lucky that his outing didn’t turn out worse.
One area of concern for Dodgers fans has to do with his control. Sasaki walked five batters in three innings. That’s certainly not great, by any stretch of the imagination. It’s possible that nerves just got the better of him.
Dodgers fans though will clearly be keeping an eye on how Sasaki’s control improves over the course of a season. The rookie pitcher is looked at as a gem in the team’s rotation. For the Dodgers to return to the World Series, they will need some quality outings from the Japanese pitcher.
Following his stay on the mound, Sasaki has a 3.00 ERA on the season. He allowed one hit in the game and struck out three batters.
There’s plenty of good news though for L.A. fans. Sasaki came out throwing heat. Eight of his 11 pitches in the first inning registered at 99 mph or higher, per MLB.com. While his velocity began to wane after that, those types of numbers with his speed are most impressive.
Sasaki didn’t earn the victory on Wednesday. That went to Landon Knack, who pitched in relief for the team.
“I think when you get youth and talent, which is Roki, what that introduces is variance,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game, per MLB.com. “There’s going to be some really high highs, and then some things that you just don’t know that are gonna happen because of his inexperience.”
Sasaki was the most coveted player outside of MLB heading into the season. He met with countless teams about signing a contract. The Dodgers were able to nab him, adding to their stable of Japanese power players.
The Dodgers next take on the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, in what will be recorded as a spring training game.
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