Roki Sasaki appears ready for the big spotlight of the 2025 MLB season and the upcoming Tokyo Series after his second impressive outing of spring training.
The hard-throwing Los Angeles Dodgers starter made his first Cactus League start on Tuesday, March 11, working four scoreless innings in a 10-4 rout of the Cleveland Guardians. He delighted Dodgers fans during their home game at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, limiting the Guardians to one hit. Sasaki walked two and struck out two in a 41-pitch outing, his second of spring training.
The former Chiba Lotte Marines ace is slated to start Game 2 of the regular season against the Chicago Cubs on March 19 at Tokyo Dome. Teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the starter for the opener a day earlier, a game in which he'll oppose Cubs southpaw Shota Imanaga.
Assessing his performance against Cleveland, Sasaki said he had mixed feelings about it.
"There are a few more things that didn't go sort of the way I wanted today," Sasaki, 23, told media at Camelback Ranch, MLB.com reported. "I reverted to some bad habits that I developed. To have those come out in a game before Opening Day, so that I can address them in time, is a good thing."
Sasaki added, "I think there were just a few things with the way I'm using my lower half, just some inconsistency between the things that I'm trying to do and what was actually happening."
On March 4, Sasaki made his Dodgers debut at spring training, tossing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen against the Cincinnati Reds. In that game, the "Monster of the Reiwa Era" struck out five.
Manager Roberts Says Sasaki is Making Progress
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts weighed in on Sasaki's pitching performance at spring training, noting the Japanese standout is getting acclimated to his new challenge.
"As he started to pitch in games, get on a routine, I think the command started to continually get better," Roberts said on Tuesday, according to MLB.com. "He was commanding the baseball much better. I think he learned early on that his split (split-finger fastball) plays here as long as he presents it as a strike. There's swing-and-miss there, and it protects his fastball. So [Tuesday], certainly very efficient."
Yamamoto Continues Preparations for the MLB Season
Former Orix Buffaloes ace Yamamoto, who's entering his second MLB season, made his final spring training start on Monday, March 10 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In five innings, Yamamoto scattered four hits and struck out seven in LA's 6-2 win. He allowed one run and one walk.
Yamamoto's split-finger fastball was effective, as he recorded four Ks with the pitch. His fastball was clocked with a top speed of 97 mph (156.1 kph).
"I feel good about my final outing," Yamamoto said, according to Kyodo News, "[and] I was able to throw as hard as I intended to."
He added, "I located my pitches well, and my off-speed pitches were breaking a lot."
Ohtani Update: Getting Ready for the MLB Season
In 18 at-bats in Cactus League games, Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani rapped out six hits, including a home run, this spring. He has a .333 batting average and a .429 on-base percentage.
On Monday, the designated hitter smacked a double in the first inning. He went 1-for-3 against the Diamondbacks.
Against the Guardians the next day, Ohtani, who's coming off offseason surgery on his left shoulder, was 0-for-1 with two walks and a run scored.
Roberts, Dodgers Finalize a 4-Year Contract Extension
Two-time World Series-winning manager Roberts has accepted a four-year contract extension to lead the team through 2029.
The Dodgers announced the deal on Tuesday.
Roberts, 52, is entering his 10th season as LA's dugout boss.
In his first nine seasons in charge, he's compiled an 851-507 win-loss record. His .627 managerial winning percentage is the best in MLB history.
What's more, the Okinawa Prefecture native piloted the team to the playoffs each season.
Roberts' success during his Dodgers tenure, including five 100-win seasons, also puts him in elite company. He's now one of five MLB skippers to win 100 or more games five times. The others: Connie Mack and Earl Weaver (five apiece) and Joe McCarthy and Bobby Cox (six apiece).
"I am excited and grateful to continue this great journey with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the best organization in sports," Roberts said, according to a news release. "Building my relationships with the players ― and the fans ― has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and it's a privilege I do not take lightly. I would like to thank Dodger ownership and management for giving me the opportunity to work toward more World Series titles for the Dodgers."
A Look Ahead
The Cubs and NPB's Hanshin Tigers will play an exhibition game on Saturday, March 15 at 12 PM at Tokyo Dome. That night the Dodgers and the Yomiuri Giants, the Big Egg's tenants, have a 7 PM game.
On Sunday, the Dodgers and Tigers are set to play at noon at the same venue, followed by a Cubs-Giants exhibition game at 7.
A Strong Outing for Sugano
In his third outing of spring training, former Yomiuri star Tomoyuki Sugano shined in the Baltimore Orioles' 4-3 triumph over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, March 9 in Sarasota, Florida. He tossed a trio of 1-2-3 innings at Ed Smith Stadium.
The MLB newcomer threw 45 pitches, 28 for strikes, and earned the win in the Grapefruit League contest.
"I was able to pitch well, both for myself and the team," Sugano said, according to Kyodo News.
In Sugano's second spring training appearance, he pitched two scoreless innings in relief and allowed two hits against the Boston Red Sox on March 3, walking one and fanning two.
He made his Orioles debut as the starter on February 26 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving up two hits and no runs in two innings.
"Finding success is giving me more and more confidence," Sugano was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.
The veteran right-hander added, "I think I can still improve overall, by improving things like my fastball speed and accuracy."
Japanese Players in MLB
Who are the Japanese players on MLB teams' rosters as of March 11, one week before the first game of the season?
Here's the complete list:
Baltimore Orioles ― Tomoyuki Sugano
Boston Red Sox ― Masataka Yoshida
Chicago Cubs ― Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki
Detroit Tigers ― Kenta Maeda
Los Angeles Angels ― Yusei Kikuchi
Los Angeles Dodgers ― Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto
New York Mets ― Kodai Senga
San Diego Padres ― Yu Darvish, Yuki Matsui
Washington Nationals ― Shinnosuke Ogasawara
RELATED:
- Roki Sasaki Impresses in Scoreless Spring Debut with Dodgers
- Tomoyuki Sugano Begins Preparations for the 2025 MLB Season
- [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] MLB Spotlight: Imanaga, Yamamoto to Start in the Season Opener in Tokyo
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login