Dodgers News: Roki Sasaki’s Splitter May Be ‘Best Secondary Pitch in the World’ Says Rival Exec
The Roki Sasaki era of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball is about to begin.
When the 23-year-old chose the Los Angeles over the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, the Dodgers were elated. What the right-hander brings in his arsenal could make him one of Major League Baseball’s best pitchers.
During his four seasons with Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines, Roki Sasaki compiled a 2.10 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, racking up 505 strikeouts while issuing just 88 walks across 394.2 innings. In April 2022, he delivered a historic two-game stretch, throwing a perfect game that included an NPB-record 13 consecutive strikeouts, then following it up with eight more perfect innings in his next start.
While Sasaki has a pattern of being dominant, Sasaki also has a weapon in his splitter which has been described as the “best secondary pitch in the world” by a rival executive, per ESPN.
“Japanese hitters are confused, and they can hit splitters way better than major league hitters,” one scout said to ESPN. “Nobody has a shot against this pitch.”
Scouts have often used those terms to describe Sasaki’s splitter, a pitch that has earned the rare 80-grade from evaluators. Initially resembling his fastball — which has touched 102 mph — the splitter travels between 88 and 92 mph with minimal spin before sharply dropping.
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Depending on the release, it can either fall straight down like a classic splitter or veer slightly to the glove side, resembling a cutter.
Last season in Japan, Sasaki’s splitter produced a 57 percent swing-and-miss rate, marking the third consecutive year he generated whiffs on more than half the swings against the pitch.
The splitter has long been the go-to pitch for many elite Japanese aces, and the trio of Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani — who helped lead Team Japan to victory in the 2023 World Baseball Classic — could possess some of the best splitters in the game.
Sasaki’s splitter, even more than his triple-digit fastball, is what makes his potential in the big leagues so exciting. Watching Sasaki, Yamamoto, and Ohtani showcase their elite splitters together will be something special.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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