Japanese pitcher Sasaki Roki of the Los Angeles Dodgers conducted a successful live pitching session. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised Sasaki for inducing many swings and misses from the batters, noting that he had good command.

Roberts mentioned Sasaki's live pitching the day before in an interview with reporters ahead of the exhibition game opener against the Chicago Cubs at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, on the 21st (Korean time).

Roberts said, "Sasaki was better in the second inning than in the first. I liked what I saw from his pitching. I think Sasaki threw well and had really good command."

He continued, "In live batting practice, batters are more aggressive with their swings than in actual games. In the second inning, he induced many swings and misses with his splitter; his stuff was very good. The velocity was at the necessary level for this point."

Sasaki conducted his first live pitching session with batters on the 20th at Camelback Ranch. After three bullpen sessions, he faced batters in a game situation.

Sasaki threw 27 pitches against nine Dodgers batters. Most were grounders and fly balls, with one well-hit line drive single from Tommy Edman. He recorded one walk and two strikeouts. He mainly threw fastballs and splitters, and also threw some sliders. His fastball reached a maximum velocity of 95 miles per hour (152.8 kilometers).

Sasaki's next pitching schedule is expected to be in the exhibition games. When asked whether he will conduct more live pitching or appear in an exhibition game, Roberts noted, "I think he will pitch in the game."

On the 22nd, Tony Gonsolin will start for the Dodgers in the away exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs. On the 23rd, Nick Frasso will be the starter in the home exhibition game against the Kansas City Royals. Roberts said, "Right now, the starting pitchers for tomorrow and the day after are set."

Sasaki's live pitching the day before drew significant attention. Not only baseball fans visiting Camelback Ranch but also Dodgers players, coaching staff, and executives gathered to watch Sasaki's pitching.

From Andrew Friedman, the president of baseball operations, to Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, other Japanese colleagues also watched Sasaki's live pitching.