Cody Snavely
PHILADELPHIA—Entering the 2025 Major League Baseball offseason, the biggest question heading into the winter was whether 23-year-old Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki would be posted and eligible to sign with any team at a discounted rate from the league’s international pool money.
By December, we got our answer as Roki Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, announced that Sasaki would indeed be entering the posting system, leaving the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB).
Despite courting from multiple Major League Baseball teams such as the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and the San Diego Padres, Sasaki would make the move that most MLB insiders believe he always would and join the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sasaki would join his fellow Samurai Japan teammates from the 2023 World Baseball Classic, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to complete the Dodgers trio of Japanese stars, the first such in MLB history.
While the anticipation was high entering camp in February for plenty of reasons, the most significant storyline to follow for the defending 2024 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers was how Sasaki would translate to Major League Baseball.
After being shunned from the public eye, throwing bullpens and simulated games behind the scenes, Sasaki made his highly anticipated debut, coming out of the bullpen after Yamamoto faced off against the Cincinnati Reds.
Overall, Sasaki tossed three scoreless innings, collecting five strikeouts, walking one batter, and generating eight whiffs on the day and posting a 37 CSW% and 47 Whiff% while maxing out at 99mph.
So far, in Sasaki’s first appearance, it seemed that he was the real deal and that the Dodgers got yet another potential ace in their already loaded starting rotation that is also set to add veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw in the summer and Ohtani.
Sasaki would finish Cactus League play by tossing seven scoreless innings, collecting seven punchouts, and allowing only three hits. This earned him the Game Two nod to kick off the regular season in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo Dome against the Chicago Cubs, where the young righty would make his Major League debut.
Like many pitchers who make their debut in front of a crowd over fifty thousand strong, Sasaki was shaky; however, despite the five walks, he was effectively wild, only allowing one run in three innings of work.
It was the first step in what is expected to be a promising career, but now the real test would begin. In a month full of debuts, Sasaki made his Dodger Stadium home debut, which was less than stellar.
In the second start of his career against the Detroit Tigers, Sasaki struggled again with his command, issuing four walks and only getting two strikeouts. He was pulled after 1.2 innings, throwing nearly sixty-five pitches on the day.
The start showed some frustration from Sasaki, especially in the dugout, where it appeared that the 23-year-old was holding back tears as his team tried to rally to save the game.
The clip became famous with multiple former Major League players, such as all-star catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who stated Sasaki was “soft,” or former Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer, who hinted that Sasaki might have been cheating during his time in Japan, hinting that the righty couldn’t find the right stickiness for the ball.
All of it leads to today, where Sasaki is set to make his third start of his Major League career, his first start on the road, and he’s doing it in one of the most hostile environments in Major League Baseball: Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
In many ways, it is the first pivotal start of Sasaki’s young career, as the Dodgers will be expecting him to continue making adjustments, the first of which is his command.
In his first two starts, Sasaki has issued nine walks with a 2.79 WHIP, 19.2% (K%), 34.6% (BB%), 5.79 ERA, and 6.49 FIP. In his last start, his velocity was down a tick, and he had no feel for any of his pitches, including his signature splitter.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted that it’s time for Sasaki to battle through adversity and that he’ll have to get better from here on out.
“I want him to continue to stay out there and stay vigilant,” manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday. “He’s not used to having some struggles and this is an opportunity for him to fight back, answer back.”
Sasaki threw a bullpen that Roberts said he heard went “great.”
“I appreciate the fact that he went back to work, and he’ll be ready to go,” the manager said.
Unlike many players with the weight on their shoulders, Sasaki has arguably the greatest support system in the world. He shares locker space with Ohtani and Yamamoto and has a coaching staff led by Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness.
Next up will be the hostile Phillies crowd, for which Roberts has no concern about the rookie.
“They’re hard on the visitors as well as the home team,” Roberts said. “I think he’s going to handle himself fine.”
But if Sasaki does struggle massively, especially with command and inconsistent velocity, it could prompt the Dodgers to discuss whether a trip to the minor leagues is in order or the bullpen, especially with right-handed pitcher Tony Gonsolin set to return by the end of April.
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