Mar 4, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki against the Cincinnati Reds during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Watch: Roki Sasaki stuns in eye-popping spring training debut

Welcome to the Roki show!

The hype surrounding Roki Sasaki’s transition to Major League Baseball reached new heights on Tuesday night as the 23-year-old made his long-awaited Cactus League debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Facing the Cincinnati Reds at Camelback Ranch, Sasaki delivered an electrifying performance that left the hitters who faced him and the rest of the baseball world alike in awe (maybe more like fear).

The highly-touted right-hander pitched three scoreless innings, striking out five while allowing just two hits and one walk. His fastball was as advertised, topping out at 99.3 mph, while his devastating split-fingered fastball induced seven whiffs on eight swings. Sasaki’s arsenal was on full display, reinforcing why the Dodgers see him as a critical part of their rotation.

Roki Sasaki brought the heat tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/oWmRGI5XKw
— MLB (@MLB) March 5, 2025

“Heavy,” said TJ Friedl.

“Nasty,” said Austin Hays.

“Electric,” said Austin Wynns.

All five of Roki Sasaki’s strike outs tonight.

(Via: @MLB) pic.twitter.com/27aeBkCUWv
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 5, 2025

Those were the reactions of the Reds’ hitters who faced Sasaki, a testament to just how dominant his debut was.

Sasaki followed fellow Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who tossed four innings of two-run ball. The two right-handers are expected to be at the top of the Dodgers’ Tokyo Series rotation, as they kick off the 2025 MLB season against the Chicago Cubs on March 18-19 in Japan. Roki Sasaki is slated to start the second game of the series in a homecoming of sorts after spending the last four years starring for the Chiba Lotte Marines.

Roki Sasaki’s arsenal

Beyond his elite velocity, Sasaki’s ability to command his pitches stood out. He threw 46 pitches, landing 26 for strikes. True to scouting reports, he leaned heavily on his fastball-splitter combination, throwing only three sliders, a pitch still considered a work in progress.

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One of the biggest questions surrounding Sasaki has been whether his two-pitch mix will be enough at the MLB level. His splitter, regarded as one of the best in the world, seemed to silence any immediate concerns, but the development of his slider will be a storyline to watch throughout the season.

Sasaki signed with the Dodgers in January, choosing them over the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays. He accepted a $6.5 million bonus, a fraction of what he could have earned had he waited two more years to enter Major League Baseball as an international free agent, like his counterpart Yoshinobu Yamamoto did.

With an already loaded rotation featuring Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yamamoto, and eventually Shohei Ohtani, Sasaki’s presence only strengthens the Dodgers’ pitching depth. If his debut is any indication, Los Angeles might have yet another ace in the making.

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Roki Sasaki

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.