Forget the poor spring training.
Sasaki Roki (Los Angeles Dodgers) took the mound as the starter in the home game against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on the 31st (Korean time) in the 2026 Major League season and pitched 4 innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts and 1 run.
With the game underway he struck out leadoff hitter Steven Kwan looking, got Chase DeLauter to ground out to second base and quickly increased the out count. From the top of the first his fastball reached a top speed of 99.5 mph (160 km). He then allowed a single to center by José Ramírez and a stolen base, putting himself in a scoring-position jam, but Kyle Manzardo, who came to the plate, flew out to left field and no runs scored.
The top of the second was also stable. He retired leadoff hitter Daniel Schneemann on a grounder to first base, got Brian Rokiō to fly out to shortstop and struck out Gabriel Arias swinging after a full count to record the first 1-2-3 inning. He recorded three outs on 13 pitches.
Sasaki gave up his first runs in the top of the third while the score was 0-0. After leadoff hitter Austin Hedges doubled and Angel Martínez laid down a sacrifice bunt, with one out and runners on first and third, Kwan delivered a two-base hit to deep right field that produced the game's first run. DeLauter then drew a walk after an eight-pitch at-bat, loading the bases with one out and runners at first and second, but he struck out Ramírez swinging, and Manzardo flew out to right field to prevent further runs.
In the top of the fourth, after one out he walked Rokiō and then saw Arias reach on a fielder's choice to first base, and he got Hedges to ground out to third to end the inning. In the top of the fifth he gave up a single to center to leadoff hitter Martínez, and manager Dave Roberts replaced the pitcher with Tanner Scott.
Scott allowed Martinez to steal second and then gave up a single to Kwan that left runners on first and third with no outs, but he struck out DeLauter swinging, got Ramírez to fly out to second base and struck out pinch-hitter Reese Hoskins swinging to escape the jam. One inherited runner from Sasaki was also erased.
Sasaki, who holds a perfect record in Nippon Professional Baseball, signed before the 2025 season with the Dodgers for six years and $6.5 million, realizing his big-league dream. Contrary to expectations he struggled early in the season with growing pains and underwent a four-month long shoulder rehabilitation due to an injury, but he transformed into a dominant late-inning reliever in the postseason, pitching in nine games with three saves, two holds and a 0.84 earned run average, and emerged as a key contributor to the Dodgers' World Series championship.
Sasaki converted to a starter in his second year but struggled in spring training with a 15.58 ERA over four games (8⅔ innings, 15 earned runs). Despite that, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave Sasaki a spot in the starting rotation, and he offered hope in his first outing. <
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