Former Padres Veteran Accuses Dodgers' Roki Sasaki of Cheating in Dodger Stadium Debut

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the highly-coveted Roki Sasaki sweepstakes this offseason, but his first two major league starts have been worrisome.

A former member of the San Diego Padres and 13-year MLB veteran Eric Hosmer made a unique, albeit unpopular, observation when Sasaki was pulled after just 1.2 innings in his Dodger Stadium debut.

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Hosmer took to the internet to remark on the 23-year-old phenom being pulled and insinuated that he had a banned substance on his hand to better grip the ball.

Hand is obviously sticky! Seems like Roki is having a tough time blending his tang to get the right grip on these MLB ⚾️s
Somebody give him a hug! https://t.co/dhpZ5loye4
— Eric Hosmer (@TheRealHos305) March 30, 2025

After 61 pitches and two earned runs, Sasaki didn't appear to have an advantage. The rookie also allowed four walks and three hits in that time.

Although L.A. was down 2-1 when Sasaki was pulled, the Dodgers were still able to win the game, 7-3.

As for Hosmer, he didn't stop at his remarks on the pitcher as he also called the validity of the MLB umpires into question when doing their routine checks for foreign substances, which they obviously did on Sasaki after he walked off the field right after his start.

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Yeah cause we all know those wipe downs are legit
— Eric Hosmer (@TheRealHos305) March 30, 2025

A foreign substance ban is an automatic 10-game suspension which is able to be appealed.

With a young player looking to make a name for himself on a new team and aspirations to be the greatest this sport has ever seen, it appears unlikely that Sasaki would try and cheat the game, let alone in his first start in North America. It also would have been caught by the umpires who checked his hands, hat, and glove.

Hosmer played seven seasons as a member of the Kansas City Royals. He won four Gold Glove awards, a Silver Slugger award, and an All-Star honor in that span. He then made his way to the rival San Diego Padres for a little over four seasons before being dealt to the Boston Red Sox.

After finishing out 2022 in Boston, Hosmer finished his career in Chicago as a member of the Cubs for 31 games the following season.

He left the game of baseball with a career batting average of .276, 198 home runs, and 893 RBIs.

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