It hasn't been the easiest transition to MLB for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki. On Friday, Sasaki reminded the baseball world of his immense talent by breaking a Dodgers' pitching record in the team's 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees.
Sasaki was dominant in 5.2 innings in the Bronx in the Dodgers' first game back from the MLB All-Star break. He allowed just one unearned run and five hits in the start, striking out five batters, while walking just one.
The five strikeouts were not exactly indicative of how dominant Sasaki was in the outing. He threw 94 pitches, 58 for strikes, and his fastball looked as lively as it has since coming over from Japan.
Most notably, Sasaki brought the heat on Friday night in what was his most impressive start as a Dodger. A career-best 21 of his 94 pitches registered at 100 mph or faster, a Los Angeles Dodgers team record since the introduction of Statcast in 2008. More than Clayton Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani, to name a few.
Eight of those 21 pitches on Friday night came in at 101 mph or faster and were the first glimpse of the form Sasaki showed back in Japan that made him the most sought-after international free agent in recent memory. All 21 of the pitches were on Sasaki's four-seam fastball.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Sasaki's dominant night was that in his previous 24 MLB appearances, he had reached 100 mph on just 14 pitches total.
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Despite the strong start, Sasaki's ERA remains elevated at 4.98 through 17 starts this year. He has a 3-5 record, a 1.34 WHIP, and 85 strikeouts in 86.2 innings of work.
If Sasaki has indeed rediscovered his form, the Dodgers may have struck gold ahead of the MLB trade deadline on August 3. With questions still surrounding whether the Detroit Tigers are planning on trading Tarik Skubal, the Dodgers may not need to look to the trade market for rotation help.
