GLENDALE, Ariz. — Even during practice sessions, the excitement surrounding Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki is palpable.
This 23-year-old showcased his talent on the mound by throwing 27 pitches over two innings during live batting practice on Wednesday. The event attracted a significant crowd, including hundreds of fans and many teammates, as well as a large contingent from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization who observed closely from behind home plate at Camelback Ranch.
Unlike last week, when he appeared somewhat erratic during a bullpen session in cooler conditions, Sasaki seemed more at ease this time. He notched two strikeouts, one of which came from delivering back-to-back splitters to Eddie Rosario.
Sasaki acknowledged the anxiety related to performance, noting through an interpreter, “Because it was my first time, I was feeling out how things would go. But I did feel like today went better than I felt in my bullpen.”
While Sasaki did allow two solid hits to Tommy Edman and David Bote—both of which would likely have been base hits with fielders present—there was no official measurement of his pitch velocity. However, Bote estimated that Sasaki’s fastball was reaching the mid-90s range. Historically, Sasaki has demonstrated the capability of throwing a fastball that hits 100 mph in Japan, yet he is continuing to rebuild his speed after experiencing shoulder inflammation last season.
Bote praised Sasaki’s poise under pressure, stating, “To throw a live BP with literally 50 people right behind you, that takes guts. The fact that he showed what he’s about, how he can pitch and how he’s going to handle all this, that’s a mental side that’s really cool for him.”
Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts has indicated that Sasaki is in contention to start the second game of the season as the Dodgers prepare to take on the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 19.
“Roki is certainly talented,” Roberts remarked. “We’ve just got to continue to give him opportunities and experiences, and he’ll find his own way.”
Last month, Sasaki signed a minor league contract, which included a $6.5 million signing bonus, after leaving the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan to enter the MLB under its international signing rules. If he had chosen to wait another two years, he could have potentially secured a lucrative nine-figure deal as a free agent, free from signing bonus pools.
Currently, Sasaki is one of three Japanese players on the Dodgers roster, joining National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
