Roki Sasaki Finally Looks Like the Ace Dodgers Signed: Eight Ks, 18 Whiffs vs. Angels
Roki Sasaki has had a quiet first season in Major League Baseball. The 24-year-old right-hander was signed last winter with massive expectations, then spent his early starts looking nothing like the version of himself that dominated Japan. On Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, the version Dodgers fans were promised finally showed up.
Sasaki tossed a career-high seven innings of four-hit baseball, struck out a career-best eight batters, walked nobody, and helped the Dodgers crush the Los Angeles Angels 10-1. His 18 swing-and-misses on the day were the most he had generated in any big league start.
The fastball touched 98. The breaking pitches looked sharp. The command was finally there. Even Dave Roberts, who has been measured about Sasaki all year, said the team was starting to see the fruits of months of work.
This was the breakout the Dodgers needed.
Los Angeles is not in trouble in the NL West. They are still leading the division. They are also a team with a rotation under serious stress. Blake Snell is heading for surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. Jack Dreyer just hit the injured list. The Dodgers traded for Eric Lauer over the weekend just to add depth. Every healthy starter matters.
Sasaki had been one of the question marks. His early starts featured shaky command, inconsistent velocity, and the kind of long innings that hint at a young pitcher pressing. The Dodgers had been patient. They knew the talent was there. They knew the adjustment period was real.
Sunday was the payoff.
Sasaki attacked the strike zone the way he used to in Japan. The Angels could not catch up to the fastball. They guessed wrong on the splitter. His delivery looked clean and repeatable. He never seemed to lose the plate.
This is the part that should excite Dodgers fans. Plenty of pitchers have a one-game breakout that does not stick. What stood out on Sunday was the process. Sasaki was not relying on one pitch. He was sequencing. He was setting up at-bats. He was pitching, not just throwing.
The other helpful detail. He did it against the Angels in Anaheim. The matchup was favorable. The Angels’ lineup is not the toughest in baseball. Sasaki’s next test will be a real one, against a team with a deeper batting order and a better plan. The Dodgers will not over-celebrate one start. They have seen too many false signals from young arms.
But Dave Roberts gets to write Sasaki into the rotation with confidence for the first time all year. That matters more than any single line. The Dodgers want to be running a five-deep playoff rotation by August. Sasaki being part of that mix changes the math on how aggressive they need to be at the trade deadline.
The bigger picture is what this means for Sasaki’s long-term outlook. He came to MLB as one of the most hyped international free agents ever. The hype came with friction. Adjusting to a new league, a new schedule, a new culture, and a new style of hitter is not automatic, even for prodigies.
Sunday felt like the corner. If Sasaki can put together another two or three starts like that one, the Dodgers’ ceiling goes up. So does Sasaki’s. He still has six months of regular season left to prove this is who he is.
He could not have picked a better day to start.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
