Roki Sasaki Shines in MLB Debut, Impresses Dodgers Fans

Roki Sasaki got his first taste of Big League action Tuesday evening versus the Cincinnati Reds.

With millions of eyeballs watching from Phoenix to his native Japan, Sasaki certainly didn’t disappoint. The Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher struck out five batters in three innings of work. In the process, Sasaki allowed two hits, one walk, one hit batter, and one wild pitch.

The strikeouts were impressive — though the underlying numbers told a story that Dodgers fans should get excited about. Sasaki’s fastball averaged 98.4 MPH. He touched 99.2 MPH on one of his pitches. This was an improvement from his last year in NPB — where his fastball sat around 96 MPH.

His premier pitch, the splitter, was also altered slightly from where it was. According to various points of data, Sasaki threw it slower than he did in Japan. This enabled him to get further drop/break on a pitch already considered to be potentially the most potent splitter in the world.

More than anything, the 23-year-old looked confident on the mound. It would almost be expected for Sasaki to give up a couple of runs as he acclimates to a completely different culture. The ball size is different compared to Japan, as is the mound and even the dirt used to construct the mound. Throw in the language barrier, and this is a very difficult situation to navigate thousands of miles from home.

Even so, he demonstrated why he was such a hotly pursued player in the free agency period. As it currently stands, it would be very surprising if Sasaki did not start in Tokyo versus the Cubs. At the very least, he should get the opportunity to pitch in front of family and friends.

All eyes will be watching to see whether this prodigious player will ultimately become an All-Star — and perhaps a major difference-maker en route to a World Series run.