Former Padres Infielder Believes Dodgers' Roki Sasaki is Cheating

Roki Sasaki's Dodger Stadium debut caught the attention of the baseball world, especially because the right-hander's start was abysmal.

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In his second Major League start, Sasaki was pulled after just 1.2 innings. He almost walked as many batters (4) as he recorded outs (5). The Japanese phenom's splitter, which was dubbed as unhittable, did not fool anybody.

He threw 61 pitches, his velocity was down, and nerves clearly played a role in Sasaki's rocky start against the Detroit Tigers last week.

Sasaki, who has been a star since he was in high school, was visibly emotional walking to the dugout with the baseball still in hand.

Social media quickly exploded with varying reactions surrounding Sasaki's start. While there were many supporters of the rookie phenom, there were also quite a few critics.

One such critic was former San Diego Padres infielder Eric Hosmer, who accused Sasaki of cheating in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

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

"Hand is obviously sticky!" Hosmer wrote. "Seems like Roki is having a tough time blending his tang to get the right grip on these MLB [baseballs]. Somebody give him a hug!"

While a fan tried to intervene, telling Hosmer that the umpire had done a thorough review of Sasaki's hands, glove, and hat, he only doubled down on his accusation.

"Yeah cause we all know those wipe downs are legit," Hosmer wrote back.

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

The Padres were one of three final suitors in the Sasaki sweepstakes. The race for the Japanese fireballer was reportedly so close that Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, said it could have been any of the finalists.

“I felt like he could easily go to Toronto,” Wolfe said after Sasaki signed with the Dodgers. “When we left San Diego, I felt like he could easily choose San Diego. When he came here, I really thought the entire process was a coin flip.”

In the end, the Padres were left without the prized possession of the international signing class. However, the Friars don't seem to be affected by the loss of Sasaki in any way.

The Padres hope to remain undefeated after Friday's series opener with the Chicago Cubs. San Diego may have lost the Sasaki sweepstakes, but the Padres certainly haven't missed a beat opening the season 7-0.

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