'What's the point of throwing 159km?' Sasaki allowed three runs in one ⅓ inning and 'disturbance' → almost got abused by Japan WBC! ERA 20.25 'The Tragedy'

*This content was translated by AI.

Loki Sasaki (24), a former Japanese national team member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, received a disastrous report card in his first exhibition game to enter the starting rotation. He went down the mound without even filling two innings in control of the ball. For the Japanese national team, the non-play of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) was rather a "fortunate" pitch.

Sasaki started the Arizona Diamondbacks and 2026 MLB (major league) exhibition game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona on the 26th (Korea time) and recorded three hits, two walks, three strikeouts and three runs in one ⅓ inning. Sasaki, who took the mound for the first time in an exhibition game on the day, failed to fill the two innings he had planned and finished the game with a 20.25 ERA.

Of the 37 pitches Sasaki threw on the day, only 17 strikes were made. The maximum speed was 98.6 miles per hour, but to no avail.

From the first inning, Sasaki showed his anxiety. Sasaki, who allowed a right-handed hit to leadoff hitter Heraldo Perdomo in the bottom of the first inning, then gave up a walk to Tim Tawa and was on the verge of first and second bases with no outs. Pevin Smith's hit to center field was ruled out by Kim Hye-sung's good defense, but he lost his first point by getting a timely double from Nolan Arenado on the left-field line.

Sasaki was also hit by a fastball thrown by Ildemaro Vargas the next day and was hit again with a two-run timely double, allowing three runs in an instant. Despite having a fast ball, he struggled because the difference between the ball and the strike was clear.

Sasaki, who also took the mound in the bottom of the second inning, seemed to seek a reversal by striking out swinging with an ambitious cutter against Drew Jones. However, the Dodgers bench lost patience when they allowed another walk to subsequent Aramis Garcia. Instead of Sasaki, Peyton Martin was placed on the mound.

Ahead of this season, Sasaki has been focusing on camp, giving up even playing in the WBC to enter the Dodgers' starting rotation. He accepted the club's recommendation on his own. He helped his team win the World Series in the postseason bullpen in the aftermath of his shoulder injury in the 2025 season, but he tasted the bitterness in his first real game to challenge his goal of "starting the full season."

However, Sasaki's pitching on the day was dizzying. Critics even criticized that if he had joined the Japanese national team at the WBC in this condition, he might have been a "civil nuisance."

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*This content was translated by AI.