Roki Sasaki’s Mixed Bag Start vs. Cubs Continues Rollercoaster
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki pitched five innings on Saturday, April 25, against the Chicago Cubs in what continued to be an eventful outing. Sasaki entered the sixth inning, but he failed to record an out, getting pulled after adding two baserunners to the equation. Saturday was Roki Sasaki’s bobblehead night , during which fans got thousands of miniature Sasaki figurines.
In fact, Miguel Rojas had one in the dugout as he supported his Japanese teammate, to whom Rojas gifted his number. April 25, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Sasaki got into the sixth inning for the first time all season long, and his final statistical line was seven hits, one walk, five strikeouts, and three home runs, along with four total earned runs.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dodgers Nation (@dodgersnation) The progress from Roki Sasaki Sasaki only walked one hitter, a big improvement for the young pitcher who has suffered from command issues, especially with his fastball and splitter. Additionally, his splitter looked really good, fooling hitters and increasing the velocity on his signature pitch. He averaged 89.
5 mph on the splitter on Saturday, up 4. 5 mph from his season average. Four of his five strikeouts came on that pitch.
When he can throw around the margins for possible strikes and challenge pitches, the splitter is one of the best pitches on the whole Dodgers’ roster. He threw 99 pitches and got 34 called strikes and whiffs, 15 of which were whiffs. His ratio was notably better than other starts, considering the volume.