LOS ANGELES — Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki is beginning to show the talent that originally caught the Los Angeles Dodgers’ attention when they scouted him overseas.
The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher held the Los Angeles Angels hitless for more than four innings Friday night, striking out a personal-best 10 batters across six innings in the Dodgers’ 1-0 win.
For the first time in his 19-start career, Sasaki completed a shutout performance. He delivered 98 total pitches with 72 strikes, achieving a 73.5% strike rate that ranks as his second-best in any start. His fastball reached 100.4 mph during the outing.
“He went through some tough times and some doubts,” manager Dave Roberts said, “but he’s gotten to the other side.”
Roberts decided to test Sasaki’s composure by sending him out for the seventh inning in the tight contest. The young pitcher responded by retiring all three batters, including two more strikeouts.
“He was on the attack, he didn’t run,” Roberts said. “That shows a lot of growth.”
High expectations surrounded Sasaki’s arrival from Nippon Professional Baseball, but his rookie campaign got off to a rocky start when he couldn’t secure a spot in the starting rotation. Television cameras in Japan captured his emotional reaction during his initial U.S. appearance, leading to criticism on social media and within baseball circles.
“We all felt sorry for him,” Roberts recalled.
Opposing batters could sense Sasaki’s struggles through his dejected body language on the pitcher’s mound.
A shoulder injury then sidelined him for four and a half months before he returned as a relief pitcher during the team’s championship playoff run.
Spring training brought new challenges when Sasaki issued 15 walks, once again casting doubt on his ability to handle starting duties and further damaging his self-confidence.
Recent weeks have seen marked improvement, however, as Sasaki has developed consistency through a more powerful splitter that reaches 90 mph, working effectively alongside his fastball and slider while showing better control.
“There is an adjustment with the ball that he had to make with his grip,” Roberts said. “You can see his demeanor on the mound. There’s just no more doubt and uncertainty.”
Sasaki’s earned run average dropped to 4.03, and he has posted a 1.48 ERA across his most recent four starts.
“I’m just doing small things all the time, and I just keep building on it,” he said through a translator.
The Dodgers secured victory on Freeman’s sixth career walk-off home run in a game where both teams managed just three hits each.
“Roki has really turned the corner here and it’s fun to watch,” Freeman said, “especially after last year grinding, coming back as a bullpen guy. He just looks great out there.”
Freeman and catcher Will Smith join their teammates in supporting Sasaki’s success on a roster that includes fellow Japanese players — two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — who have established high performance standards.
“You can see the care factor, the drive he’s got,” Smith said. “It’s good to see the benefits right now.”
