Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki is good as advertised, at least during his Spring Training debut. The Japanese sensation struck out five batters in three scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds. He played in relief of countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who surrendered two hits in four innings.
Baseball Savant revealed that Sasaki’s four-seam fastballs had an average speed of 98 miles per hour, with a top speed of 99.3. He also mixed in some sliders and splitters to confuse the batters. Sasaki got seven whiffs on his splitter. While this is a positive step toward his progress, Sasaki has much room for improvement against MLB batters.
The 23-year-old pitcher is a two-time NPB All-Star with the Chiba Lotte Mariners. He also holds the league record with 19 strikeouts in a game and the world record with 13 consecutive strikeouts in a game. He also pitched a perfect game in April 2022.
Rōki Sasaki's 2Ks in the 5th. pic.twitter.com/g06jv4vcoy
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 5, 2025
The Dodgers signed him to a contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus this offseason. He had to sign a minor-league contract because he was under 25 years old. Adjusting to MLB will be easier with Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers.
-Lance Fernandez