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Baseball fans have eagerly anticipated seeing how Roki Sasaki’s electric arsenal would fare in the Majors, and as the winners of the Sasaki sweepstakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers got the first glimpse of his potential against big-league competition. However, Buck Showalter doesn’t seem particularly impressed with the Dodgers’ newest acquisition.
“There must’ve been 50 people standing around. First of all, how do you have that many players standing around? Don’t you have something to do?” said Showalter.
The 23-year-old tossed 27 pitches across two innings of live batting practice on Wednesday, attracting a sizable audience for his first live batting practice session of the spring on Wednesday. It wasn’t just fans who gathered—teammates, coaches, and front-office personnel lined up behind home plate and along the sides to get a closer look.
“You got that many people watching your first outing. Your whole country and everybody in the States is watching you. You don’t think he feels some pressure to turn up the dial a little bit? You don’t need eight catchers in camp. It’s about getting your Major League team ready. You know it’s not a tryout camp, and if you don’t know who your prospects are by then, you’re probably down a bad road anyway,” Buck Showalter continued.
Roki Sasaki on live-batting practice with the Dodgers
Sasaki pitched two innings, giving up a pair of line-drive hits but keeping the rest of the contact on the ground. Sasaki relied primarily on his fastball and splitter while occasionally mixing in sliders, a pitch he’s still refining.
The Japanese sensation viewed Wednesday’s live BP as a step up from his two previous bullpen sessions in camp. His splitter, which has drawn plenty of attention this spring, lived up to the hype. Known for its sharp movement, the pitch fooled Eddie Rosario twice in a row, resulting in Sasaki’s lone swinging strikeout of the session.
Sasaki’s slider remains a work in progress. With his primary focus on fine-tuning his fastball-splitter combination for game action, he has been gradually incorporating his third pitch. He tested it against Tommy Edman and threw several more to veteran infielder David Bote, a non-roster invitee in camp.
Sasaki fine-tuning his slider
As Sasaki continues to fine-tune his slider, questions remain about whether he needs another dependable pitch to excel as a Major League starter. The Dodgers are eager to develop his repertoire further, but their priority is helping him adjust to the big leagues before making major tweaks.
Last month, Sasaki signed a minor league deal with a $6.5 million signing bonus as an international amateur free agent under MLB rules, departing the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines through the posting system. Had he waited two more years, he likely would have secured a nine-figure contract as a free agent unrestricted by signing bonus pools.
Sasaki joins two other Japanese players on the roster: National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
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Astros' playoff push dealt significant blow
The Houston Astros' playoff push received a devastating blow on Tuesday. The Astros announced that closer Josh Hader was placed on the injured list with a strained left shoulder. Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reported that Hader will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the strain. Hader has been utterly dominant for the Astros in 2025. He had posted a 2.05 ERA and a 0.854 WHIP over his 52.2 innings, striking out 76 batters with 16 walks. Hader had notched 28 saves in 29 attempts as he continued to make a case as the best closer in the game. As the July 31 trade deadline has passed, the Astros may have no option but to cobble the ninth inning together out of what they already have. Reliever Bennett Sousa recorded the one-out save on Monday and is second on the team with four saves. Fellow relievers Bryan Abreu, Bryan King and Steven Okert have impressed this season. The Astros, on paper at least, have plenty of depth in the bullpen. Despite that depth, the ninth inning is now a question mark. Abreu has notched nine saves in his career, the most of any of the Astros' other late-inning options. A reunion with reliever Ryan Pressly, who was designated for assignment and subsequently released by the Cubs, could be a possibility. Pressly does have closing experience but struggled to a 4.35 ERA and a 1.524 WHIP over his 41.1 innings in Chicago. Meanwhile, the Mariners have been white-hot since the trade deadline, winning nine of their last 10 games, including seven in a row heading into Tuesday. That surge has the Mariners just a game behind the Astros in a suddenly competitive AL West. The Guardians and Rangers are within 6.5 games of Houston, well within striking distance should the Astros falter. If Hader is on the injured list for an extended period, the Astros may be fighting for a playoff berth by the end of the season.
Cowboys' DaRon Bland Reveals Camp Secret And New Contract Talk Details
The Dallas Cowboys' secondary has been a big concern all offseason, with injuries and a lack of depth plaguing the unit. And when you have to go against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, that is nightmare fuel for any defense, let alone one that is the walking wounded as training camp winds down. But there are big benefits to going against an elite tandem, and one who has seen his fair share of No. 88 and No. 3 is corner DaRon Bland. And he's relishing the chance to go against the star duo day in, day out. “It never let you get complacent,” Bland said, revealing his camp secret of success. “It always give you something to work on because it's every day there's something to work on. So going against guys like that, you can never just sit back.” Given that the Cowboys and Bland face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, the NFC East rivals have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, so it is good preparation for Matt Eberflus' defense. Still, Lamb and Pickens, for the most part, have had their way with Dallas' secondary, with CeeDee stating no one has given him any trouble at all throughout camp, which is quite the statement. For Bland, it is iron sharpens iron, and going against Lamb and Pickens will hopefully hold him and the rest of the secondary in good stead for when they face the Eagles to open the season. Meanwhile, Bland continues to express hope that he'll get rewarded for his work with a Cowboys contract extension. On Tuesday, Bland said there have been some contined talks with his agent and added that he’d like to get a new deal done before the season. “Hopefully,'' he said. Along the way? Never getting complacent. That is what Bland is preaching, going against the star-studded duo, and with so much weaponry across from him every day, come Week 1, we think the pick-six king will be more than ready for what Philadelphia has to throw at him.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Makes Direct Statement About Mason Rudolph's Spot On QB Depth Chart
Former crew chief frustrated by the 'ridiculous' racing at Watkins Glen
It is no secret that NASCAR's current road-course package has not been very good. Aside from the mile-and-a-half tracks that were once the least competitive and exciting in the series, those races are the rare bright spot for the Next Gen Car since its inception in 2022. Shane van Gisbergen drove away to an 11.1-second win over Christopher Bell in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen and set multiple records in the process. While the racing was not particularly exciting, that was not what left former crew chief and current analyst Steve Letarte frustrated the most following the weekend. A recurring issue in each race over the weekend was drivers utilizing the runoff areas around the track and not staying on the traditional racing surface, which ultimately led to some crashes in Saturday's Xfinity race. "So, I hate track limits that have to be officiated," Letarte said on "Inside the Race." "Because I like tracks that you should just stay on the track. I didn't think it mattered. Now, I am team get-them-back-on-the-race-track-at-Watkins-Glen. I don't love the Watkins Glen that I see. ... I think Turn 1 is not as great of a corner with no exit respect or responsibility. You just blow the exit. I think the carousel is a much easier corner, being able to just go driver's left. "I also think Turn 6 is going — let me add, that I think the (Connor) Zilisch, SVG wreck between the last two corners (in the Xfinity Series race) happened because they left the track, and the Austin Hill wreck with Michael McDowell happened off the race track. Now, both could have been avoided, we can talk about who's at fault. What I'm saying is, I've never driven a lap at Watkins Glen. I can analyze what happens between the white lines." This comes one year after rumble strips were placed in Turn 1 to keep drivers from using the runoff area, and that clearly has not worked. As the field has got closer together, using up all the track has become a common way for drivers to establish momentum, especially as they prepare for the right-hander going into The Esses at Watkins Glen. The bottom line is NASCAR's road-racing product needs to get better and Letarte wants to see race cars "stay on the race track because I think it will be a better race." Van Gisbergen's historic dominance certainly does not help, but the overall road course product is not great. Whether NASCAR makes some changes to the runoff areas and enforces track limits remains to be seen, but that still may not be the biggest issue if the racing does not improve.
Browns may not be prepared for one thing with Shedeur Sanders
During a recent edition of the "Orange and Brown Talk Podcast," Cleveland Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock of the Cleveland Plain Dealer suggested that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski may not be prepared for the "potential fan backlash" that could arise regarding the team's handling of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Stefanski seemed to say plenty about the subject when it was learned on Monday that Sanders remains fourth on the club's unofficial depth chart even though he enjoyed a solid NFL debut in the club's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. Also on Monday, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer made it known that Stefanski won't be in a rush to play Sanders or fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel ahead of schedule. "Stefanski and the other offensive coaches have a plan for the rookie QBs, and they’re not about to be swayed by public opinion and the Sanders-mania that’s sweeping the nation," Cabot wrote. "Yes, it was a great debut against the Panthers with two beautiful touchdown passes to first-year receiver Kaden Davis. But Stefanski always keeps things simple for his rookie quarterbacks in preseason games, and most have looked excellent in their outings under him. Therefore, he wasn’t ready Monday to start handing over those precious starting reps to Sanders when he’s unlikely to start Week 1 and doesn’t necessarily need that valuable time with the ones — yet." Neither Gabriel nor presumed backup Kenny Pickett played against the Panthers after they were slowed by hamstring injuries during training camp. Meanwhile, Sanders completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland's 30-10 victory over Carolina. Gabriel returned to the practice field on Monday, but Pickett reportedly could be sidelined "for a couple more weeks." It's unclear if either signal-caller will play in Cleveland's preseason matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles this coming Saturday. "They have had a process with Shedeur all the way through," Cabot added during the latest episode of the podcast. "And even when they were taking heat nationally from all kinds of pundits and experts saying that they were setting Shedeur up to fail, they stuck to their guns. And even after his really, really nice debut, they really haven’t changed the process." As recently as Tuesday morning, Zac Jackson of The Athletic mentioned that veteran Joe Flacco is still "the clear leader" to be Cleveland's Week 1 starter over Sanders, Gabriel and Pickett. As of Tuesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Flacco as a -310 betting favorite to get the nod for the Browns' regular-season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Previous whispers indicated Stefanski will want to name his Week 1 QB1 before Cleveland wraps the preseason up with a home game against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23. It certainly sounds like Stefanski won't lose any sleep over disappointing members of a passionate fan base who want to see what Sanders can do against live defenses in meaningful contests.
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