{"id":654,"date":"2026-05-18T06:04:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=654"},"modified":"2026-05-18T06:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:04:08","slug":"dodgers-think-roki-sasaki-is-finally-on-his-way-to-realizing-his-potential-after-dominating-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=654","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers think Roki Sasaki is finally on his way to realizing his potential after dominating Angels"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Roki Sasaki\u2019s eventful major league career finally appears to be going the way most everyone expected when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers at the start of last season.<\/p>\n

Read more Aaron Rai runs away with the PGA Championship, first English-born winner in more than a century<\/a><\/p>\n

Sasaki pitched a career-high seven innings of four-hit ball in a 10-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, turning in the longest and most dominant start of his strange tenure in blue.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old right-hander racked up a career-best eight strikeouts with no walks, doing it all with a burgeoning confidence he lacked for most of last season. Sasaki (2-3) repeatedly baffled the Halos while attacking the strike zone with a 98 mph fastball and his proliferating selection of breaking pitches.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he has confidence in who he is as a big league pitcher, and we\u2019re seeing some of the fruits right now,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Although he did it against the team with the worst record in the majors, Sasaki\u2019s stuff is clearly working at a high level he has rarely reached as a starter stateside.<\/p>\n

He was already a ballyhooed young star in January 2025 when he chose the Dodgers as his big league home for at least the next six years. But after a rookie season in which almost nothing went as planned, Sasaki has only recently shown why every team in the majors wanted him in their rotation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually felt better in my last outing, but today I felt able to throw strikes a little bit more,\u201d Sasaki said through his interpreter. \u201cAlso the offense did a great job of scoring a lot of runs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sasaki hasn\u2019t been dominant in most of his starts, but Roberts said he is clearly trending upward. He is also working well with catcher Dalton Rushing, who received credit from Roberts for calling an outstanding game at Angel Stadium.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looked really good today,\u201d Rushing said. \u201cObviously it\u2019s really good momentum for him to carry forward, but at the same time, there\u2019s opportunities for him to be even better. We know that\u2019s not his ceiling. What he just did is obviously the best we\u2019ve seen him to this point, but I trust that guy has got a lot more in the tank, and we\u2019re going to continue to push. But it was fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sasaki is again trying to carve out a permanent spot in the Dodgers\u2019 rotation this season after famously failing to do so as a rookie. He subsequently missed 4 1\/2 months with shoulder problems, but improbably returned as Los Angeles\u2019 closer during its playoff run to a second straight World Series title.<\/p>\n

Read more Mitchell scores 26 and the Cavaliers rout the Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 to reach the East finals<\/a><\/p>\n

Sasaki\u2019s success as a reliever was a lifesaver for the short-handed Dodgers, but it didn\u2019t change their long-term plans for him. Sasaki returned to spring training as a rotation member again \u2014 but then he repeatedly pitched poorly in Arizona and damaged his confidence.<\/p>\n

Exactly half the batters he faced in spring exhibitions reached base, and Sasaki struggled for any control.<\/p>\n

Roberts said the Dodgers\u2019 message to Sasaki has been consistent: Stop worrying about minor mechanical tweaks or fine-tuning new pitches, and simply attack the strike zone with your already formidable talent.<\/p>\n

It took a while for Sasaki to hear it, but now it\u2019s loud and clear \u2014 and it turns out his aggressiveness is also improving his delivery. Sasaki generated 18 swing-and-misses from the Angels, a big factor in his career-high strikeout total.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think one of the reasons is mechanical,\u201d Sasaki said of his recent success. \u201cThings are kind of clicking, and I was able to execute really well throughout the game today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dodgers need Sasaki to be sharp as they attempt to get through yet another year of major pitching injuries. High-priced starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are out once again, and closer Edwin Diaz is also on the shelf along with Jack Dreyer, their most-used reliever.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles is still pitching superbly, going into the weekend with the third-lowest ERA in the majors. Rushing and Roberts both expect Sasaki to be a big part of the effort to keep it that way.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty much it\u2019s a confidence thing,\u201d Rushing said. \u201cHe needs to trust his stuff, understand how good his stuff is, and execute. \u2026 With the stuff he has, it\u2019s easy to miss barrels, and we hadn\u2019t quite got to see that just yet. Today was obviously a big step forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Sanford woman faces 8 charges after 2 women, baby hurt in Southern Pines crash during chase; license was revoked: Deputies<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP MLB: https:\/\/apnews.com\/MLB<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ANAHEIM, Calif. 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