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Roki Sasaki opened up about his progress in the MLB with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the disappointing 16-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Despite LA's offensive collapse, the 24-year-old pitched five innings for the first time in the major leagues.
After the game, Sasaki spoke about his progress in a new environment as he works toward establishing himself as an elite pitcher in the MLB. In his first Spring Training with the Dodgers, Roki Sasaki turned heads with his vicious fastball and splinker.
However, he was still very much a work in progress, with some erratic pitches. That has come to light more than once in the regular season as the Dodgers ease him into major action action. After completing his first five-inning outing in the MLB, Sasaki opened up on his progress to SportsNetLA (through his interpretor Will Ireton):
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"Didn't quite feel comfortable in my first inning but I felt like I hit a stride after that first inning. Overall, a lot better command, that was something I was able to continue from my last outing."
"Just given the context that I haven't reached the five-inning mark the last three outings, I think it was really important for me to be able to reach that point this time. I hope to be able to do that as a minimum going forward."
While Michael Busch blasted a solo home run off Roki Sasaki in the second inning, the Japanese youngster contained the Cubs offence after that. He ended the night with three strikeouts and two walks in five innings, giving up four hits and one run.
Dodgers podcaster declares win-loss record meaningless for pitchers after Roki Sasaki's outing vs Cubs
Roki Sasaki's first outing with five innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers will go down as a loss despite being the team's best performer on the night. Hence, co-host of the LockedOn Dodgers podcast Jeff J. Snider said that the win/loss reocrd for pitchers is redundant.
When Sasaki exited the game after the fifth inning, the Dodgers were trailing the Chicago Cubs by a run. By the end of the ninth inning, the Cubs had a 16-run lead with no response from the Dodgers offence. Sasaki's win/loss record for the MLB season stands at 0-1, despite being the standout performer against the Cubs.
