Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Still Nowhere Near Where He Wants to Be

Before his start for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Roki Sasaki said the quiet part out loud.

The Japanese fireballer hadn't looked sharp all season as he produced a 5.88 ERA with 31 strikeouts across 33.2 innings pitched (seven starts) heading into Sunday's game.

It was far from his performance in October, where fans witnessed an elite version of Sasaki.

The right-hander sported a 0.84 ERA across 10.2 innings in the postseason, earning the title as the Dodgers closer in October.

But alas, the 2025 playoffs are a distant memory for Dodgers fans, and many were getting restless over Sasaki's ongoing struggles stateside.

Sasaki was asked last week if he was close to where he wanted to be performance-wise.

“Not at all,” Sasaki said in Japanese. “I think I’m pretty far. To me, it feels as if I’ve already taken a lot of time."

He was also honest about his pitching progress this season, which has evidently been slow.

“The situation has been painful," he said. "All I can do is aim for that and build toward it. Whether it comes right away or gradually is something I don’t even know. I imagine what I want to be and work my way backward from that. If I stop that process, then it’s over. As long as I have a chance, I have to continue to progress.”

Sasaki's start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels was a sigh of relief for Dodger fans — and evidently, Sasaki himself.

The right-hander had his best start of his MLB life, throwing a career-high seven innings while allowing just one run. He recorded eight strikeouts and allowed four hits, and perhaps most notably, had zero walks.

The Dodgers have been adamant that Roki Sasaki would stay in the big league rotation.

With injuries to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, it’s now a necessity — and Sasaki just delivered the best start of his MLB career.

He set career-highs in IPs (7) and Ks (8). He had 0 walks. pic.twitter.com/geoFvlZH5d
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) May 17, 2026

And yet, Sasaki was still critical of himself following Sunday's 10-2 win in Anaheim, discussing the velocity on his fastball which averaged 96.6 mph.

“I want a little more strength behind my fastball,” Sasaki said. “But I think it was good that I was able to hold their hitters today. My breaking balls were better than they were last time.”

“In terms of the fastball, I want more velo,” he added. “The off-speed pitches, I feel pretty good about it. So I’ll just keep continuing to work on it and make sure I’ll be in a better spot.”

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told fans he was thinking about the future by keeping Sasaki in the majors amid his struggles. But after the injuries to Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, Sasaki's success in MLB has become more of a necessity.

The right-hander delivered on Sunday, and it appears he's trending in the right direction at a time when the Dodgers truly need him to perform well.

The coming months will be the real test for the Japanese star as his success is now paramount to the Dodgers' depleted rotation.

Fans have witnessed several growing pains from Sasaki in 2026, but there's a reason he was dubbed as one of the greatest young pitchers in the world ahead of the 2025 season.

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