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Former San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer accused Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki of cheating during his unimpressive home debut against the Detroit Tigers last month. Hosmer said that Sasaki made an early exit because he wa using a foreign susbtance to get a better grip on the ball.
Eric Hosmer received a barrage of angry comments from fans on social media for his accusations against Roki Sasaki without any evidence. Some of the responses from the Dodgers faithful about Hosmer were regarding his own career and bias towards the Padres.
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On Tuesday, Roki Sasaki was taken off the mound after 1.2 innings into his maiden start at Dodger Stadium, having thrown 61 pitches until then. The Japanese right-hander had given up two earned runs from three hits as he struggled with his control, allowing five walks despite striking out five batters.
"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!," Hosmer had tweeted.
Fans offered stinging reactions on Reddit to Eric Hosmer for his accusations.
"Eric Hosmer is a PhD in su**ing at baseball," one fan wrote.
"Hosmer was the mediocre overpaid 1B you can think of," another said.
"Even the Padres are glad Hosmer is a former Padre," another fan wrote.
Fans didn't hesitate to pull some punches on Hosmer.
"Maybe his alleged steroid use has affected his cognitive function," wrote one fan.
"Yapping lies about Roki vs not saying s*** about Profar," another posted.
"The Dodgers should file an immediate defamation suit against this a-hole," another fan suggested.
Before his stint with the San Diego Padres, Hosmer had played seven seasons for the Kansas City Royals and won the 2015 World Series. He also represented the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs before calling time on his career in 2023.
"He's soft": Ex-MLB catcher questions Roki Sasaki mentality
Former catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who played 12 seasons in the MLB, feels Roki Sasaki lacks the mental fortitude to become a dominant starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lucroy shared his thoughts regarding the Dodgers right-hander with a message on X.
"He's soft. I've seen it before. Only thing that will help him is to fail. Massively. He will either peter out, or, transform into a hardened warrior. That will be his choice. Big time players make big time players in big time situations."
Roki Sasaki has recorded 4.2 innings over two starts since making his major league debut during the Tokyo Series in Japan last month. He has a 5.79 ERA, with an astronomical 2.786 WHIP and leads the MLB with nine walks.
