When the Los Angeles Dodgers landed Roki Sasaki, it felt like they had plucked a lightning rod straight out of the Tokyo Dome. After all, he was a 23-year-old Japanese phenom who had a triple-digit fastball and a control to match. Forget expectations; in the major league, an envy rage took root, deeming the Dodgers the ‘evil empire’ – someone who always manages to clinch the best.
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So Sasaki was supposed to be the next big thing in the big leagues. But in baseball, nothing is guaranteed. Now, only a couple of months into the season, the shine and buzz have started to wear off. And Sasaki’s rough edges recently came to full light when playing against Arizona. He was tagged for five runs in just four-plus innings. Two of the runs came off the long balls in the first frame. Not a single batter struck out either! Not what is expected of the Monster of the Reiwa Era.
So, right now, insiders are not just worried about the Japanese phenom on the mound but off the mound, too. Mostly about how he is tackling the pressure of playing under the bright lights of LA.
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Ben Verlander didn’t mince words in his podcast. He said on the Flippin’ Bats podcast, “It’s tough to watch him… I worry about him mentally… Every start, it’s 3-4-5 innings, walking a lot of guys, not striking out hitters. He needs to build that confidence back up.” And it makes sense to be worried because things have felt off for some time now. Sasaki’s velocity has dropped, and he is averaging around the mid-90 mphs—a far cry from his Japan days.
At the start of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers had hoped to slowly ease Sasaki into the rotation. But given that big names on the roster are on the IL, they had to push Sasaki into deep water. And now he is struggling to stay afloat. Verlander also reminded listeners that Sasaki has a 30% ball rate. This might sound okay, but that’s been Sasaki’s best this season.
Well, this isn’t the worst thing either.
Only two pitchers in all of baseball with 5+ starts, according to Verlander, have a strike percentage under 10% and a ball percentage of over 40%—they’re Andre Pallante and Roki Sasaki. So what’s going on? Verlander doesn’t suspect an injury, but rather that Sasaki is dialing back the heat to figure out his command.
And honestly, it actually could be a pitch conviction issue, given this new environment. For now, though, Verlander says that the talent is there, and his belief is still there. But the bitter pill is – Sasaki is not thriving, just surviving.
Los Angeles Dodgers sound alarm as Sasaki’s struggles deepen
While it’s no secret that Roki Sasaki is struggling in MLB, there is one important thing to note—he didn’t struggle initially. In his debut game against the Chicago Cubs, Sasaki was great. He even touched his normal velocity. But the keynote here is that this was back in Japan!
After this, too, he did manage 99 mph eight times, but not for long. Now, at this stage, plenty of theories and suggestions are thrown across. Clipper Jones added some wild theories. Some insiders have even suggested the Dodgers move Sasaki to the minor leagues. And right now, that might be something the Dodgers consider because they have even raised concerns.
The pitching coach, Mark Prior, for example, said, “It’s not an ideal situation… Clearly, the fastball is not going to carry through the zone at 93 very effectively.”
Dave Robert, ever the optimist, tried to downplay the drama initially. But after the four-inning stumble of Sasaki against the Diamondbacks, he admitted that Sasaki’s command, not velocity, is the bigger issue. “If you don’t have velocity when you’re talking 98, 99, then command becomes more of a priority. When you’re throwing mid-90s, 94, then you have to really command the baseball.” And this is where the team might have shifted the focus.
Maybe Sasaki can pitch smarter and not harder.
Meanwhile, not just the team or fans, even Sasaki seems to have no answers for his slump. Speaking through his interpreter, Sasaki had shared, “I’m not quite exactly sure and can’t really state exactly the single reason [why].” For now, he says, he is looking for the answers. And the team would badly hope he finds them, given their pitching staff is already thinning out.
What do you think is the issue here? There was news of him probably needing Tommy John surgery—is it an injury? Or do you think it’s something to do with the new environment? Don’t hold back on sharing your thoughts with us.
Written by
Edited by
Ahana Chatterjee