Dodgers Manager Reveals Where He Wants to See Roki Sasaki Improve

May 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) is greeted by Shohei Ohtani as he leaves the game in the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When Roki Sasaki last took the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he failed to record a strikeout over four innings that included five earned runs and two walks.

The game itself was still won miraculously as the Dodgers were down three runs entering the ninth inning on Friday and won, 14-11, but the question still remains of when Sasaki will start to show the same dominance that he did in Japan.

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His fastball velocity has dipped this season as well, which is about 33 percent of Sasaki's pitch mix and a major part of his game when he was planning his move to MLB.

The advertised triple-digit fastball from his days in Nippon Professional Baseball is averaging just 96 mph in a Dodgers uniform, which is still higher than the 94.6 average among other right-handers in the league.

For a pitch he uses 50.2 percent of the time, the young phenom needs all the speed he can get, especially when his last outing didn't see one batter whiff at a fastball he threw their way.

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Manager Dave Roberts spoke on where he wants to see Sasaki improve upon as he cares less on increased velocity, and “more concerned about the command," per the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett.

“Because if you don’t have velocity when you’re talking 98, 99 (mph)," continued Roberts, "then command becomes more of a priority,” Roberts said. “When you’re throwing mid-90s, 94, then you have to really command the baseball. So that’s what we’re going to work on as a group. Roki understands that. And this is still his first season here, so there has to be some grace, as he’s kind of learning this league and kind of getting his footing.”

The difference between MLB and NPB batters is something that Sasaki is learning on-the-fly, but if he can continue mastering his command as his manager prioritizes, perhaps the phenom that was throwing a 2.10 ERA over four seasons in Japan will start to emerge.

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