Straight Talk: Sasaki aims for deeper outing after laboring in loss to Texas
"Well, this is my third outing and I’ve gone four innings, five innings, four innings – I’ve not been able to eat up a lot of innings. So the next start, I want to not be as much of a burden on the bullpen by keeping the runs down and going deep into the game. That would be the goal for me as far as the result goes.
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Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the game against the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium on April 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. "Straight Talk" is a regular feature in which The Sporting Tribune's John E. Gibson offers a full translation of media availability with Dodgers Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
He will also help translate when Lakers star Rui Hachimura and LA Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida are asked questions in Japanese. The job of interpreters in the heat of the moment is difficult without the ability to write down questions and answers and re-hear responses for proper context. That's where John comes in to help.
John currently works as a Japanese-English interpreter and covered pro baseball in Japan for about 20 years. His experience as a sports reporter includes stints at The Orange County Register, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, The Redlands Daily Facts, The Yomiuri Shimbun’s English newspaper in Tokyo and The Epoch Times. LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki (0-2) meets with the media after struggling through four innings of a 5-2 loss to the Texas Rangers at home on Sunday.