After two uneven starts to begin his MLB career, Roki Sasaki bounced back with an encouraging outing in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 3-1 win against the Philadelphia Phillies last weekend.
The right-hander allowed just one run on three hits in four-plus innings of work, recording four strikeouts and issuing a season-low two walks.
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Sasaki saw improvement across the board while leaning heavily on his fastball and splitter.
Kiké Hernández believes Sasaki will only continue improving as he becomes more acclimated to his new league, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“Everything is under a microscope right now because of all the hype,” Kiké Hernández said. “But if it was any other random name who struggled through their first two starts, nobody would be making a big deal out of it. So, I think the kid’s going to be more than all right. And he showed that today.”
Sasaki’s start against the Phillies was certainly a step in the right direction and should quell some concerns that emerged from his first two appearances of the season.
Sasaki admitted the week after struggling in his Dodger Stadium debut was filled with anxiety but he was encouraged by a bullpen session leading into starting at Citizens Bank Park.
While the 23-year-old continues to face lofty expectations and pressure from outside the organization, the Dodgers have preached patience and needing to allow time for Sasaki to continue developing.
Roki Sasaki found ‘confidence’
Sasaki attributed his solid outing against the Phillies to a productive bullpen session that restored some of his confidence.
Sasaki is now slated to make his fourth MLB start against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, which manager Dave Roberts said he hopes follows a similar blueprint to Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s outing of effectively using the fastball and splitter.
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