TOKYO -- Roki Sasaki has the type of pure stuff a team can dream on -- and several did this past offseason. But as both he and the Dodgers have made clear, the 23-year-old right-hander remains a work in progress, which was evident in his first big league start.
Sasaki struck out three across three innings of one-run ball, but he struggled with his command against the Cubs at Tokyo Dome, issuing five walks and landing only 25 of his 56 pitches for strikes.
Ranked MLB Pipeline's No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, Sasaki brought staggering expectations with him to the big leagues. While the Dodgers are high on his potential, the team is also aware that he's not a finished project and could have some bumps in the road as he transitions to the Major Leagues.
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"I think when you get youth and talent, which is Roki, what that introduces is variance," manager Dave Roberts said before the Tokyo Series finale. "There's going to be some really high highs, and then some things that you just don't know that are gonna happen because of his inexperience."
Sasaki came out firing on Wednesday night, hitting 99.5 mph on his first pitch. Eight of his 11 pitches in the first inning registered at 99 mph or higher -- but he didn't reach that same velocity again in the remainder of his outing.
He retired the first three Cubs batters in order, getting two flyouts to bookend his first Major League strikeout. Sasaki's countryman, Seiya Suzuki, was the first of many to come.
Sasaki's struggles with command began in the second inning, when he issued his first two walks of the night. He escaped that jam without permitting a run, but the Cubs mounted a one-out rally against him in the third. Sasaki allowed an infield single, then walked three consecutive batters to force in a run.
With the bases still loaded, Sasaki froze Michael Busch with a four-seamer and got Matt Shaw to swing through a slider to get out of his final inning. Sasaki only threw four sliders -- a pitch that is considered more of a work in progress for him -- but the two that drew swings were whiffed on.
Sasaki signed with the Dodgers this past offseason, when he was one of the most highly coveted names on the market as an extremely talented -- and controllable -- arm. Across four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Chiba Lotte Marines, the 23-year-old right-hander went 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 394 2/3 innings.