Roki Sasaki Overcomes Nightmare First Inning vs. Brewers
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki looked quite impressive after a poor first inning, where he gave up three runs to the Milwaukee Brewers. The narrative around Sasaki has revolved around his lack of command and limited arsenal . Still, something that has been quite underdiscussed is his resilience and ability to keep his team in games.
Rather than drop his shoulders, give up, and force the bullpen to bail him out, Sasaki fights to find his command and sharpness. Against the Brewers, he did just that on his way to a solid start. May 23, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) reacts following the final out of the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images A bad start for Sasaki Right out of the gate, he allowed two hard-hit balls to the Brewers’ Brice Turang and Jackson Churio. They were both doubles, meaning he got off quickly and allowed his first run. On a soft chopper by Andrew Vaughn, Sasaki made a terrible error on a throw to Freddie Freeman, leading to Turang scoring.
The first out came on a grounder, and Sasaki walked the next hitter. He got his first strikeout against Jake Bauers with a man on second and first, and he allowed a single shortly after to put him in a 3-0 hole. A base-running error got Sasaki out of the inning, but the damage was done.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) commits a throwing error during the first inning of their game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The wonderful recovery In the second inning, Sasaki got two quick outs and looked on his way to an easy inning; however, he gave up a double and walked a hitter, putting him in trouble again. He got a clutch flyout to end the inning, starting a chain of 10 straight hitters that he retired.