Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Riki Sasaki is about to enter a season full of expectations after a rookie season filled with extreme highs and lows.
Sasaki began 2025 as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, bypassing the minor leagues despite his youth and unfamiliarity with American baseball.
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He has issues with velocity consistency and placement, and his pitching arsenal only contains two legal pitches.
After a few rough starts, he was placed on the injured list and stayed there for a few months before returning at the end of the regular season.
February 18, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) on the mound during a Los Angeles Dodgers practice at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, AZ. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
He came back as a dominant reliever, but he’s eager to be a quality starter, which is what the team expects from him.
As soon as Sasaki steps onto the Dodgers’ spring training field, all eyes will be on Sasaki to see what improvements and changes he’s made – most notably, what new pitches he’s got.
An interesting new campaign from Roki Sasaki
Sasaki made his spring training debut on Wednesday, February 25, throwing 27 pitches and 1.1 innings. He allowed three earned runs on three hits and struck out two.
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It wasn’t a good outing for the Japanese pitcher, especially after a full offseason of anticipation and focused work with the Dodgers.
However, Sasaki did reveal a hidden third tone he hinted at adding. The pitch was a cutter and he threw it seven times in the game.
It’s been called a “gyro slider” or “gyro cutter” by some, but no matter how it’s described, its purpose is to provide lateral movement to complement his fastball and vertical drop in the separation.
Sasaki also threw four sinkers, something he only did twice in his rookie season. Clearly, his goal is to expand his options and give hitters a different look, and there’s no better time to try that than spring.
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Sasaki’s long-term plans remain unclear in terms of his arsenal, whether he’ll add the sinker as a viable fourth pitch, but the cutter appears to be a staple going forward.
Dodgers fans should be excited about the tinkering Sasaki is making, and those growing pains should pay off over time.
