'One pitch short': Sasaki's 163.3 km/h + KKKKKK fails to secure QS... Dodgers beat Seattle 6-2 [LAD Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The LA Dodgers secured a victory with steady performance despite Shohei Ohtani (32) being out of the lineup.

On the 31st (Korean time), the Dodgers defeated the Seattle Mariners 6-2 in a regular-season home game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA, for the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) season.

With this win, the Dodgers improved to 69 wins and 40 losses with a two-game winning streak, taking first place in the National League West Division. Meanwhile, Seattle fell into a two-game losing streak, sitting at 53 wins and 57 losses in third place in the American League West Division.

The Dodgers gained the upper hand in the starting pitcher matchup. Roki Sasaki of the Dodgers pitched 5⅓ innings, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out seven batters and giving up two earned runs to earn his fifth win (fifth loss) of the season. His season ERA also dipped slightly from 4.71 to 4.64.

Sasaki dominated Seattle's batters today with a fastball clocked at a maximum speed of 100.8 mph (approximately 163.3 km/h). He threw a total of 90 pitches, including 37 split-finger fastballs, 33 four-seam fastballs, and 20 sliders, generating 18 swings and misses.

However, he fell just one pitch short of achieving his sixth quality start (six innings or more with three earned runs or fewer). Sasaki held Seattle scoreless through the first five innings but found himself in trouble when leading-off batter Col Young hit a triple in the bottom of the sixth. Center fielder Andy Pages' awkward attempt to catch the ball with a slide backfired.

Sasaki began to lose composure from that point onward. He allowed a two-run double to Randy Arozarena down the left-field line for his first run given up. He then issued a straight fastball walk to Dominic Canzone and induced a groundout at third base from Julio Rodriguez.

However, Sasaki was pushed into a bases-loaded situation after allowing a single to Josh Naylor on the left side of the infield. He then gave up a walk-off walk to Cal Raleigh for an additional run. Fortunately, reliever Jack Drayer struck out Rob Refsnyder with a swing-and-miss and retired Western Wilson on a shortstop groundout, limiting his damage to two earned runs.

The Dodgers' offense also supported Sasaki from the early innings. In the bottom of the first, leadoff batter Tommy Edman drew a walk against Seattle starter Bryan Woo. Catcher Raleigh dropped the pitch, allowing Edman to advance to second base, and Pages hit a single to left field to load the bases with runners on first and third. Mookie Betts then hit a two-run double down the left-field line for the go-ahead run.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Dodgers scored three runs in a big inning. Kyle Tucker drew a walk, and Teoscar Hernandez singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Dalton Rushing then launched Woo's low inside slider over the right-field wall for a home run.

Hernandez hit a solo home run to center field in the bottom of the sixth with two outs, making Seattle's scoreless inning at the top of the sixth with bases loaded and one out even more heartbreaking.

Among the Dodgers, Pages went 2-for-4, Betts went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Hernandez went 2-for-3 (one home run) with one RBI and two runs scored, and Rushing went 1-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored, showcasing explosive offensive power even without Ohtani.

As a result, Woo of Seattle took the loss for his eighth defeat (eight wins) of the season, pitching five innings while allowing five hits (one home run), two walks, striking out eight batters, and giving up five earned runs.

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*This content was translated by AI.