Los Angeles Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki singes Cincinnati Reds in spring debut
March 5 (UPI) — Roki Sasaki rolled 99-mph fastballs off his fingers, while mixing in splitters and sliders to keep Cincinnati Reds batters baffled in his Los Angeles Dodgers spring training debut in Phoenix.
The prized Japanese pitching phenom, who joined the Dodgers in January, allowed two hits and issued a walk and five strikeouts over three shutout innings in the 4-2 triumph Tuesday at Camelback Ranch.
“It was a mixture of excitement and nervousness, but once I was on the mound, I felt like I was able to focus and able to pitch,” Sasaki told reporters.
The 23-year-old right-handed pitcher fired 46 pitches, including 26 strikes.
“It was great,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said “It was just one of those things where we were all kinda waiting to see how he managed his emotions under the lights, first big league game, I thought he was fantastic.”
Fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto started the game. Yamamoto, who signed a $235 million deal with the Dodgers in 2023, allowed four hits and two runs over the first four innings.
Sasaki entered the game in the top of the fifth, with the Dodgers trailing 2-1. He threw a 99.2-mph fastball to Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte for his first MLB pitch. Marte grounded out off the offering.
Sasaki threw a 99-mph pitch in his next exchange against Austin Wynns. The Reds catcher went on to single to right field three pitches later.
Sasaki hit Reds left fielder Stuart Fairchild with a 96.9-mph fastball in the next meeting. He then struck out Reds center fielder T.J. Friedl and second baseman Matt McLain to escape the inning unscathed. He used splitters cap those strikeouts.
Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit a 97.7-mph Sasaki fastball to left for a double to lead off the sixth. Sasaki proceeded to strike out designated hitter Austin Hays and force a fly out from right fielder Jake Fraley. He walked first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the next meeting, but then forced Marte to fly out to end the inning.
Sasaki struck out Wynns and center fielder Carlos Jorge, while getting a ground out from left fielder Hector Rodriguez in the seventh.
He was replaced by Jose E. Hernandez to start the eighth.
Outfielder Jake Vogel tied the score with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. Second baseman Austin Gauthier gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead with an RBI single two at-bats later. Dodgers catcher Hunter Feduccia brought in the game’s final run with an RBI groundout in the next exchange.