LA Dodgers Japanese pitcher Sasaki Roki (24) will receive a World Series championship ring in his first year in Major League Baseball.
Dodgers rookie Sasaki appeared in 10 regular-season MLB games this year (8 starts), pitching 36 1/3 innings with a 1-1 record and a 4.46 earned run average.
In 2022, during his time with the Chiba Lotte in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Sasaki, who achieved the youngest perfect game in history and was called a "monster pitcher," took the field in Major League Baseball wearing a Dodgers uniform.
He drew a lot of attention. But through May this year he was limited to 8 games with a 1-1 record and a 4.72 earned run average. He struggled with control issues and decreased velocity. Moreover, after the May 10 game against Arizona he complained of right shoulder impingement syndrome and was placed on the injured list.
A return that had been expected in late June was pushed back to the end of September, the final stretch of the regular season. A difficult first season. He began to change after switching roles from starter to reliever.
Despite a significant gap in playing time, he appeared as a relief pitcher in the Sept. 25 game against Arizona and the Sept. 27 game against Seattle, throwing 2 scoreless innings with one hit allowed and four strikeouts.
He then appeared in two World Series games on the sport's biggest stage, recording one hold and a 0.00 earned run average. In the postseason he contributed to the Dodgers' World Series title with nine appearances, two holds, three saves and a 0.84 ERA (10 2/3 innings, 1 earned run).
Sasaki, who had an ordinary regular season, staged a dramatic turnaround in the 2025 Major League Baseball postseason. He overwhelmed opposing hitters with a 100 mph (about 160 km/h) fastball and a sharp splitter.
Teammate and 2018 American League Cy Young Award and 2023 National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell marveled, "Sasaki comes in from the bullpen to finish the game and throws strikes. He was aggressive and fearless."
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