Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Sasaki Roki failed again in his bid for his first win.
Sasaki started on the 13th (Korean time) at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, in a 2026 Major League Baseball game against the Texas Rangers and took the loss after allowing two runs in 4 innings with 5 hits (1 home run), 5 walks and 6 strikeouts. The Dodgers lost 2-5.
He recorded a career-high six strikeouts since his major league debut, but command was the problem. After the game, Sasaki said he regretted, "I had a high pitch count, so I couldn't work through long innings."
It was a crisis every inning. Sasaki said, "It was good that I held up well in scoring position situations in the first and second innings. Getting strikeouts was also positive." But his command wavered, and his pitch count reached 94 by the fourth inning.
Japanese media Sponichi Annex pointed out, "He was not able to pitch with stability on the mound. There were signs of command problems."
In the first inning, Sasaki allowed a single to left by leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo and a walk to Evan Carter, putting him in a no-out, runners on first and second threat. He struck out Corey Seager on a foul tip, then escaped the inning by striking out Jake Burger with one out and inducing an empty-swing strikeout of Joc Pederson on a splitter with runners at first and second.
He began the second inning by walking leadoff hitter Danny Jansen. He got Josh Smith to fly out to third on a foul fly, but then allowed a double to center by Josh Young, creating a one-out, runners on second and third threat. Sasaki struck out Ezequiel Duran swinging on a slider, and with two outs and runners on second and third he got Nimmo to fly out to third.
He got through two crises, but in the top of the third he gave up a home run when he threw a 97.1 mph four-seam fastball to leadoff hitter Evan Carter that cleared the center field wall. He got Seager to fly out to left and struck out Burger swinging to record two outs. However, he then allowed a single to right by Pederson and committed a wild pitch.
With two outs and a runner on second, Sasaki then issued a walk to Danny Jansen. With two outs and runners on first and second, he gave up an RBI single to Josh Smith, allowing two runs. With two outs and runners on first and second that followed, he also walked Josh Young, loading the bases.
He induced Ezequiel Duran into a ground ball to first to finally end the inning. In the fourth inning he again issued a walk. After getting leadoff hitter Nimmo to ground out to second, he again walked Carter. Seager, after a full-count battle, hit a fly ball to left for the second out. With two outs and a runner on first, he struck out Jake Burger swinging to barely complete four innings.
Sasaki showed crisis management and strikeout ability but was hampered by many walks and a high pitch count. Sponichi Annex reported, "There were ups and downs between good and bad pitches. Command problems left something to be desired."
Sasaki has allowed 10 walks in three starts this season. He issued 2 walks in his first start, 3 walks in his second start on the 6th, and 5 walks in this outing. Five walks in a game is the second time since his major league debut on March 20 last year at the Chicago Cubs' road game.
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