Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Makes Shocking Admission After 2026 Debut

Entering the 2026 season, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki couldn't explain his struggles from spring training. Sasaki was one of the bigger storylines from the spring for Los Angeles, and not in a good way.

In four starts this spring, Sasaki posted an ERA of 15.58, much to the frustration of the team and fanbase. There were questions about whether he should stay in the mix for the starting rotation or open the season in the minor leagues amid the struggles.

However, the Dodgers stood by the right-hander, and they had all the confidence in him to figure things out on the mound. Sasaki made his first start of the season against the Cleveland Guardians, going four innings and striking out four while walking two and giving up one run on four hits.

This was an encouraging sign from the right-hander, and it seems that the belief from Los Angeles may have paid off. However, after the start, Sasaki himself even admitted that he didn't have confidence in his pitching entering the game.

“I actually didn’t have confidence at all before this game started,” Sasaki said through his interpreter. “But I was just focusing on doing what I can control.”

The Dodgers did lose the game, but it wasn't the fault of Sasaki. His performance should only have him feeling better about himself going forward, even if he wasn't fully happy with the outing.

“The results weren’t satisfactory, but I think I’d like to move forward with the confidence knowing that even though it was bad, it was better than it was in spring training,” Sasaki said in Japanese.

Manager Dave Roberts agreed with the assessment of Sasaki, and he was happy with the outing. This backing from Roberts likely played a role in the right-hander being able to settle himself on the mound.

“I think it should be a big boost to his confidence,” Roberts said. “And I think he’s being honest with you guys in the sense of he’s a confident player. But when you don’t have success it’s hard to have real confidence. That was certainly an honest admission. But when you perform, you start to have true confidence. So hopefully he can build on this one.”

Los Angeles is expecting big things from Sasaki this season, especially after he emerged as a weapon for them in the playoffs a year ago. Sasaki was only able to make 10 appearances (eight starts) during the regular season last year due to injury and struggles, so this outing was a nice start.

Overall, he posted an ERA of 4.46, pitching in 36.1 innings of work in the regular season. He then emerged as the team's closer in the postseason, pitching 10.2 innings and allowing just one run. The Dodgers won all nine games Sasaki entered in the postseason.

Now in his second year in the big leagues, Sasaki could be in line to put together a much stronger full season for the team. At 24 years old, the sky remains the limit for the Japanese pitcher.