There already have been several firsts in Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training this year, with the latest featuring Roki Sasaki taking the mound to face batters.
Sasaki had already thrown multiple bullpen sessions in camp, which were attended by members from the Dodgers front office in addition to coaching staff. On Wednesday, a group of more than 50 people gathered behind a protective screen as they eagerly watched the right-hander.
“That was pretty cool. The cool part was all the teammates around,” said David Bote, who along with Eddie Rosario and Tommy Edman, took at-bats against Sasaki.
“That’s what I’ve noticed a lot, is the support from the group here. Supporting hitters and pitchers, and seeing what Roki can do, to come out and do that with that group of people, to throw a live BP with 50 people right behind, that takes guts.
Little bit of a crowd has gathered to watch Roki Sasaki face hitters. pic.twitter.com/xYFL83tpde
— Matthew Moreno (@Matthew__Moreno) February 19, 2025
“The fact that he went up and showed what he’s about, how he can pitch and how he’s going to be able to handle this, that’s also a mental sign. To be able to do that with that setting, speaks volumes about who he is with makeup and character. He’s strong on the mental side, which I think is going to make him an even better pitcher.”
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, manager Dave Roberts, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell were among those on hand as well.
“There were more players behind the plate than I thought, but I wasn’t really nervous. I was just a little surprised to see that many of them there,” Sasaki said through an interpreter. “They thought it went well.”
Sasaki threw 27 pitches over two simulated innings, mixing in some sliders with fastballs and splitters.
“Just overall my velocity was better. And having hitters in the box, even though I threw a decent amount of balls, I thought my command was generally toward where I was aiming,” Sasaki said of the live BP compared to his most recent bullpen session.
What’s next for Roki Sasaki?
While Yamamoto is poised to start in the Dodgers’ first Cactus League game on Thursday as he prepares for the Tokyo Series, when Sasaki will pitch in a Spring Training game is unclear.
Roberts reminded that Sasaki is effectively pitching just once a week and the next step is a bullpen session. From there, Roberts presumed, the Dodgers will have a clearer idea of when Sasaki will make his Cactus League debut.
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