Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki commented on his performance throughout his first season in MLB in 2025.
Sasaki made 10 appearances through the regular season, spending most of the year on the injured list. He took on a role as a reliever after his return late in the season, and served as one of the Dodgers’ most important arms out of the bullpen during the postseason.
“Yeah it was nice to see myself succeed at this level,” Sasaki said through translator Will Ireton. “It’s a whole different mindset heading into this spring training if I didn’t succeed the way I did last postseason.
“…Reflecting back on my last year, it just felt like I stumbled with my own responsibility. It wasn’t about the level of Major League Baseball or the hitters, it was just really more about the things I could’ve controlled that I didn’t. So just coming into the year, my goal is to be able to pitch throughout the entire season and I think that will allow me to be able to show what I have to work on in the big league level.”
Sasaki is expected to push for a return to the starting rotation in 2026.
How Did Roki Sasaki Perform as a Reliever Compared to a Starter?
Sasaki made his first eight appearances of the season as a starter, posting a 4.72 ERA through 34.1 innings pitched. He landed on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement in May, spending several months working on his delivery in the minor leagues.
The Dodgers activated the rookie in September, and moved him to a role in the bullpen. He made two appearances in relief before the end of the regular season, pitching a scoreless inning in each.
He slowly took on a bigger role as the postseason progressed, first coming into a relatively safe game against the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card round before making more high-leverage appearances in the NLDS.
Sasaki allowed just one run through 10.2 postseason innings, and notched his first three MLB saves.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted Sasaki has looked much better than last season during spring training.
“The fastball was coming out really well, threw some sliders,” Roberts said. “I thought the command was really good.”
Sasaki will hope to continue to impress as he looks to cement himself as a starter in a team which is hopeful for a three-peat in the coming season.
One Response
FAIR START….now we know what he needed to work on…and in relief he gave us a good glimpse into the future….after all why he left Japan early was to come here and learn