Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Says He 'really Worked' on Mechanics Since Rough MLB Debut

Saturday's start for Roki Sasaki is more of what the Japanese rookie expects after a rough start to his MLB career.

Sasaki went four innings and struck out four batters while allowing just one run in the Dodgers 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. While it wasn't a long outing, it was much better than the ones he had put forward in his first two starts.

Sasaki credited some adjustments to his mechanics as a key factor to the improvement.

“I felt I had something,” Sasaki said, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. “Last time around, I felt like I wanted to throw strikes, but I couldn’t. I really worked on my mechanics since that game and really felt like I was able to do that today.”

Sasaki had gone just 4.2 innings across his first two starts, allowing three runs, four hits and walking nine batters. He only walked two batters in Saturday's start and showed increased command of the strike zone overall.

He was a sought-after international free agent in the offseason after a stellar 2024 season with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball. He had gone 10-5 with 2.35 ERA in 111.0 innings in 2024 and entered the 2025 MLB season as the No. 1 overall prospect.

With expectations that high, a lackluster start was going to be an eyesore for Sasaki and the Dodgers. However, a promising performance on Saturday shows that the 23-year-old can be an impact piece for a potent Dodgers rotation.