Roki Sasaki Drew Inspiration From Unexpected Source in Japan

Roki Sasaki joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a highly-touted amateur pitching prospect but one searching for answers upon making the jump to Major League Baseball.

Sasaki revealed during his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium that one of the primary reasons he signed with the Dodgers was due to being convinced by their plan to help him get his fastball velocity back to averaging triple digits.

His rookie season instead was marred by a right shoulder impingement and subpar results as a starter. Sasaki fared well out of the bullpen but now is poised for a return to the Dodgers rotation.

He is looking to bounce back from a rough campaign and does so with newfound inspiration after hosting a baseball clinic in Japan, according to Dylan Hernández of the California Post.

Back in Japan in December, Sasaki held a baseball clinic for 170 elementary school students in the coastal town of Suzu, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2024. He said he reached out to the city in the middle of last season to make arrangements. He ran with the children, watched them play catch and answered their questions. Before they left, he handed each of them an autographed baseball.

“That was my first time participating in a baseball clinic,” Sasaki said. “It’s an experience you don’t usually have. I received different kinds of strength from the children.”

Beyond simply wanting to help uplift those who were impacted by natural disaster, Sasaki holds a connection of sorts to Suzu citizens through his own personal experience. When the right-hander was just 9-years-old, an earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated his hometown of Rikuzentakata.

Sasaki lost his father and two grandparents as his childhood home was taken into the ocean. The tragedy, understandably so, is perceived by many to have shaped Sasaki into the private person he is.

But now in his second Spring Training with the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts and teammates have commented on a noticeable difference in his demeanor. That is to be expected after one year of making such a significant change, and it's a development the Dodgers often mentioned with Yoshinobu Yamamoto throughout last year.

How Roki Sasaki can stay in Dodgers rotation

Although the Dodgers are giving Sasaki another opportunity to be part of their rotation, he needs to show improvement to remain in that role.

One area with which he stands to benefit from is developing a third pitch. As such, Sasaki is working on throwing a cutter and two-seam fastball this spring, in addition to adjusting his slider to a version that resembles what he threw in Japan to great success.