Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m worried that North Carolina’s decisive win in the First Four will give ammunition to people who think the NCAA tournament should be expanded.
In today’s SI:AM:
⛹️♂️ Men’s bracket, ranked
So-so debut
After months—perhaps even years—of anticipation, Roki Sasaki finally made his major league debut on Wednesday in the second game of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. It could have been better.
It was an up-and-down outing for Sasaki, who lit up the radar gun but also struggled with his command. He pitched three innings, allowing one run on just one hit (an infield single by Jon Berti). He struck out three but walked five. Of his 56 pitches, only 25 were strikes.
Sasaki was at his best in the first inning, when he set the Cubs down in order and picked up his first MLB strikeout, blowing a 99 mph fastball up in the zone past fellow Japanese star Seiya Suzuki.
Roki Sasaki records the first strikeout in his Major League career! 💪#TokyoSeries pic.twitter.com/N0pJt6drkI
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 19, 2025
Sasaki was clearly amped up to start the game. His first four pitches all clocked in at 100 mph, displaying the elite velocity that made him such a hot commodity on the free-agent market when he decided to come to the United States this winter. All told, Sasaki topped 99 mph eight times over the course of his three innings. He also showed off the deadly splitter that the Dodgers hope will become his trademark pitch. He completely froze Matt Shaw in the second inning with a particularly nasty one that caught the corner of the zone.
Roki Sasaki's splitter is going to break MLB.pic.twitter.com/RMOraVL4SF
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) March 19, 2025
But the splitter was also at the heart of Sasaki’s command issues. He threw 15 of them and only got batters to swing at the pitch twice. One swing got Shaw to line out weakly, and the other was a swing and miss by Ian Happ. The splitter that froze Shaw in the second inning was the only other one that did not miss the zone. The other 12 were all balls. Sasaki’s command of the fastball was better, but it was still not great. Only about half of them (18 of 37) found the zone.
Only two pitchers last season had a game in which they threw at least 50 pitches and found the zone with a lower percentage of them than Sasaki did on Wednesday (Cristian Javier of the Houston Astros and Nick Nastrini of the Chicago White Sox), and only 13 starters last season went three or fewer innings while allowing five or more walks.
Control isn’t a major concern for Sasaki, who allowed 2.0 walks per nine innings during his four seasons in Japan. It probably makes the most sense to chalk his wildness up to the nerves associated with making his MLB debut in his home country. Want proof that Sasaki’s adrenaline was pumping on Wednesday? He put a little extra behind his first pitch to his countryman Suzuki and threw his hardest pitch of the night (100.5 mph).
Sasaki’s debut might end up being emblematic of his first season in MLB. He showed the impressive repertoire that made him the most-hyped international free agent since his teammate Shohei Ohtani, blowing hitters away with his triple-digit fastball and leaving them flailing at his confounding splitter. But it was also a reminder of what scouts have been saying all along: that Sasaki is far from a finished product. He may be inconsistent at times, but he’ll also make your jaw drop with his blazing fastball and bowling ball splitter. He will probably not win the Cy Young this season, but he could be very dangerous before long.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Today’s Digital Cover is Michael Rosenberg’s profile of Lauren Betts, the 6'7" center who is hoping to lead UCLA to a national championship.
- I’m always impressed by the thoroughness of Pat Forde’s annual piece, ranking the men’s tournament field from No. 1 to 68.
- The college basketball coaching carousel is already turning. Kevin Sweeney has updates on all the big jobs currently open—and a few that could still open up.
- Sorry, Seahawks fans. Gilberto Manzano’s list of the five most likely NFL free agent busts has three players Seattle just signed.
- You already read the MMQB staff’s debate over which NFL free-agent signing will have the biggest impact. Now, they’ve discussed which signing will have the least impact.
- Confused about the new contracts for Bengals receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase? Albert Breer breaks down how the money really works.
The top five…
… things I saw last night (and this morning):
5. North Carolina guard Ian Jackson’s nasty ankle-breaker against San Diego State. It was that kind of night for the Aztecs, who got trounced 95–68.
4. Connor Hellebuyck’s scrambling stick save after giving the puck away.
3. The reaction inside the Tokyo Dome to Shohei Ohtani’s first home run of the season.
2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi outfielder Christian Smith-Johnson’s catch while flipping over the outfield wall to rob a grand slam.
1. Alabama State’s wild game-winner in the First Four against Saint Francis.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Roki Sasaki’s Up-and-Down First MLB Start.
