Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki threw 23 pitches in the first inning before being pulled from the game after he gave up four runs, with three walks and two hits.
His command was awful, throwing only eight strikes. He used four fastballs, seven cutters, and five splitters, showing his new third pitch, but he could not find the strike zone.
Sasaki struggled to maintain consistent velocity and location during his rookie year, and command was once again a problem.
He did not get hitters’ respect when he threw a strike, and even when he did, the batters were all over his fastball, which had less spin.