Dodgers Recap: Sasaki shaky in desert debut
Spring Training Game 5, 2/25/2026: Dodgers 10, Diamondbacks 7
SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Another day of Cactus League play, another pitching debut. This time, it was the highly touted Roki Sasaki taking to the bump. After a decidedly uneven 2025, Sasaki has a lot to prove in his second year in Dodger blue. So how did he do? Well, it could have gone better, to be quite honest.
Sasaki gave up more runs in the first inning than he had in the entire postseason run. On the second pitch of the ballgame, Geraldo Perdomo ripped a single into right field. That was followed by a walk to Tim Tawa. After Pavin Smith lined out to center, new D-back Nolan Arenado and Ildemaro Vargas hit back-to-back doubles to give the D-backs a 3-0 lead. Luckily, Sasaki came through with a couple of strikeouts to end the threat. The second inning was abbreviated, as Dave Roberts was watching Sasaki’s pitch count. He struck out Druw Jones to open the inning, but after issuing a walk, Roki was done for the day.
So his line for the day: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. The three strikeouts? Good. The rest? Not so much.
The real star of the afternoon was Hyeseong Kim, who continues to put up good numbers before he heads to join Team Korea in the WBC. He got two hits, two steals, and two nice plays in centerfield, showcasing what a threat he can be when he’s right. Kim is now batting .500 with a 1.000 OPS this spring. Let’s hope it continues, and we see a lot more of the Comet on the field once the regular season begins.
The rest of the lineup was a little thin on the regulars. Dalton Rushing threw a guy out trying to steal second, and Alex Freeland went 1-for-3, but that was about it. The rest of the damage done by the Dodgers came courtesy of poor pitching and sloppy play by the D-backs. Arizona pitching gave up nine walks and the defense committed 3 errors, so even though they outhit the Dodgers, they came up on the wrong side of the scorecard at the end.
Pitching-wise, there were two other debuts of note. River Ryan walked a guy, but hung a zero on the scoreboard in the third inning, and newly acquired closer Edwin Diaz (sans “Narco”) threw a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth to get his feet wet before he heads to join Team Puerto Rico at the end of the month.
It was not a great baseball game. In other words, it looked like Spring Training. Nevertheless, the Dodgers prevailed by a score of 10-7 and pushed their Cactus League mark to a perfect 5-0. The Dodgers next return to Camelback Ranch to face the Chicago White Sox, with whom they share the facility. This time, we get to see Tyler Glasnow get in his work, and then the usual parade of prospects. Game time is 12:10 PST. See you there!
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