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There was doubt surrounding the abilities of Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki after he had two shaky performances in Tokyo and in his Dodger Stadium debut.
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But Sasaki silenced his critics Saturday against a red hot Philadelphia Phillies lineup.
The right-hander retired 12 of 17 batters he faced after giving up back to back singles leading to a run in the first inning. It was the best start of Sasaki’s Major League career thus far, as he lasted four innings for the first time.
The Phillies lineup was 0-for-6 against Sasaki’s splitter, which was deemed unhittable throughout his unique free agency process.
Sasaki’s final stat line against the Phillies: four strikeouts, three hits, two walks, and one earned run.
The Phillies led off the fifth inning with a walk and a single, which prompted manager Dave Roberts to end Sasaki’s start at four-plus innings. The Dodgers deployed star reliever Anthony Banda from the bullpen to limit the damage.
Banda got out of the jam without allowing run, but not without a scare. The Phillies should’ve had a sacrifice fly to right, but infielder Bryson Stott got doubled off at first on a throw by Teoscar Hernández before catcher JT Realmuto could reach home plate to complete the double play.
While critics quickly emerged after Sasaki lasted just 1.2 innings in his second start of the season, the rookie phenom proved on Saturday why he was highly-sought this offseason.
Will Smith always believed in Sasaki, saying the 23-year-old simply had to settle in.
“We have full confidence in Roki,” Smith said after Sasaki’s Dodger Stadium debut. “He’ll settle in. He’ll start pitching better. He’ll start dominating the (strike) zone. He’ll be really good for us.”
It appears Smith was correct.
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Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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