Roki Sasaki's Ridiculous Splitter, Triple-Digits Fastball Left MLB Fans in Awe

Roki Sasaki came out firing in his MLB debut. | @SpectrumSportsnet

Roki Sasaki wasted no time impressing MLB fans in his debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday. Sasaki, heralded as one of the best pitchers in the world, struggled a bit with his command but gave fans a glimpse at his staggering arsenal in three innings of work.

First, with adrenaline pumping through his veins pitching in front of his native country's home fans, Sasaki lit up the radar gun. Facing Cubs outfielder Ian Happ in the bottom of the first inning, Sasaki proceeded to hit 99 MPH-plus on each of the first five pitches he threw.

100
100
100

Roki Sasaki's first three MLB pitches. pic.twitter.com/qLxqVkQrpU

— MLB (@MLB) March 19, 2025

Fans were impressed.

OK yeah he's gonna be a problem

— Card Cashers/1 (@cardcashers) March 19, 2025

this is the Monster of Reiwa Era ❤️‍🔥

— Japan ⚔ Baseball (@JapanggX) March 19, 2025

😳😳😳

— 犬 (@kagerou_jet8) March 19, 2025

Then, facing a bases-loaded jam with two outs and a 1-2 count, Sasaki struck out Cubs infielder Matt Shaw on a ridiculous breaking ball.

That drop on Roki’s Splitter. 😳

477 RPMs pic.twitter.com/BQTA2LR4wD

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 19, 2025

In three innings, Sasaki allowed one earned run, walked five and struck out three batters. Command issues aside, there's absolutely no doubt that Sasaki's arsenal will play at the big-league level.

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