With all eyes on him, Roki Sasaki debuted for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, March 4, in spring training against the Cincinnati Reds. During the game, Sasaki pitched three scoreless innings and struck out five batters.
Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Speaks About Roki Sasaki’s Debut
Sasaki has a chance to be a special player during his rookie season for the Dodgers, who signed him during the offseason. One person who has watched him up close all spring is Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who is excited about what Sasaki can bring to the team this season.
Roberts said about Sasaki’s debut, “That’s the best we’ve seen him. And you would expect that, given he’s now really in compete mode, the adrenaline is real. We haven’t seen 99 all spring.”
Sasaki is 23 years old with a ton of upside and could become the Dodgers’ ace before the end of the 2025 season. He’s in the mix to start in the Tokyo Series on March 18 and 19, when Los Angeles faces the Chicago Cubs, but his next potential spring outing could come a week before then.
Roberts already has a ton of faith in the Japanese pitcher, telling Sonja Chen of mlb.com, “Obviously, he’s pitched in a lot of big games in his career. But [that was] also in an environment where he’s comfortable. This is something that’s all new to him, and so he’s learning on the fly. And we’re asking a lot of him, but there’s a lot of confidence supporting him.”
Sasaki hit 99 miles per hour on the radar gun four times during the game against the Reds. And there will be several times this season when he reaches 99 mph during a game.
One fan said during his debut with Los Angeles, “That’s not bad for a spring training debut.”
Another fan also added, “I don’t see any haters? They must be asleep.”
I don’t see any haters ? They must be asleep 😴
— annoying ohtani fan (@owndodgerhaters) March 5, 2025
Beyond Sasaki, the Dodgers’ rotation this season includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow.
One of the biggest challenges for the Dodgers’ rotation in recent years has been staying healthy. If they want to win back-to-back World Series this season, they’ll need everyone to stay on the field — and Sasaki will need to shine.
