Roki Sasaki’s big-league debut on Wednesday night at the Tokyo Dome was a mix of exciting moments and some rough patches. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ right-handed pitcher showed off his powerful arm, but also struggled with control, limiting his outing to just three innings.
In front of his home crowd, Sasaki allowed only one run and one hit, while striking out three batters. However, his wildness was apparent as he walked five batters, including one that forced in a run.
Sasaki threw a total of 56 pitches, with 31 balls and 25 strikes. By the time he left the game, the Dodgers were leading 5-1, and they went on to win 6-3, completing a two-game sweep over the Chicago Cubs in Japan.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised Sasaki’s debut, acknowledging the difficult circumstances but also highlighting the potential for improvement. “He showed great talent and competitiveness, though when his control isn’t there, it can get tricky,” Roberts said. “But overall, it was an impressive debut.”
In his first career outing, the 23-year-old fired his first six pitches at impressive speeds—99.5, 99.5, 100, 100.5, 99.4, and 98.9 mph. He retired the first three Chicago Cubs batters in order, including striking out fellow Japanese player Seiya Suzuki on a swinging strike.
Sasaki was clearly fired up during the first inning, with his grunts echoing through the Tokyo Dome as he unleashed his fastball. The 6-foot-2 pitcher, who signed a minor league contract in January with a $6.5 million signing bonus, became the 13th Japanese player to join the Dodgers.
Trouble struck for Sasaki in the second inning when he walked Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson. However, he caught a break when Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a sharp liner that shortstop Miguel Rojas caught. Rojas then stepped on second base to double up Busch and end the inning.
“Even though my control was off a few times, I felt good about my mechanics and delivery,” Sasaki said through an interpreter. “I just want to make sure I can repeat it moving forward.”
In the third inning, Jon Berti reached on an infield single, and Sasaki walked Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Kyle Tucker, allowing a run to score and cutting the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1.
Despite the trouble, Sasaki bounced back, striking out Michael Busch and Matt Shaw to escape the inning.
Although Sasaki wanted to continue into the fourth, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided it was best to hand the rest of the game over to the bullpen, especially given the emotional intensity of the situation.
“There were some nerves, understandably,” Roberts said. “His velocity was good, but the control, emotions, and adrenaline made it hard to settle in. But in that third inning, he made some big pitches for us.”
After his initial fastball barrage in the 100 mph range, Sasaki settled into throwing between 97-99 mph, with his renowned splitter showing flashes of brilliance but often drifting out of the strike zone.
