{"id":347894,"date":"2026-06-05T11:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/347894\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T11:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T11:37:13","slug":"how-the-dodgers-roki-sasaki-found-his-swagger-delivered-wins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/347894\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki found his swagger, delivered wins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Roki Sasaki<\/a>, it turns out, can be quite the jokester.<\/p>\n

In contrast to the 24-year-old right-hander\u2019s more reserved demeanor on the mound and in postgame interviews, those who have gotten to know him during the past year and a half with the Dodgers<\/a> have been treated to a different side of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe talks a lot of trash,\u201d Dodgers strength and conditioning coach Travis Smith told The Times this week, with a smile. \u201cHe\u2019s not quiet at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget that Sasaki\u2019s start Friday against the Angels<\/a> will be only his 30th major-league appearance, regular season and postseason combined. And he only had four years of Nippon Professional Baseball experience before deciding to leave Japan, posting early and signing as an international amateur free agent last year, as Shohei Ohtani did in 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki throws from the mound during a game against the Giants on May 11.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bolanos\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all still so new for a young player navigating a massive change on and off the field. So, the Dodgers expected growing pains. And after digging in their heels<\/a> on the decision to let him work through those in the rotation to begin his sophomore season, they\u2019ve been rewarded with a steadier version of Sasaki through the month of May (3.18 ERA), with still more room to grow, and stronger communication between the two sides.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, there\u2019s a lot of talent there,\u201d manager Dave Roberts<\/a> said. \u201cThere was a lot of expectation in getting him over here. But he still hasn\u2019t pitched a whole lot of professional innings, and he\u2019s still young.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so I do think that \u2026 we\u2019re probably kind of over-expecting from Roki at an early stage. But for him, I wouldn\u2019t say he would agree with our take and that\u2019s a good thing from the athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n

For any player, transitioning from NPB to MLB requires countless adjustments, large and small. They range from the language and customs, to the schedule and travel, to the competition, to the baseball itself.<\/p>\n

Sasaki, in a recent conversation with The Times through interpreter Kensuke Okubo, highlighted two differences that have felt especially jarring.<\/p>\n

1. MLB teams want to know about every physical ailment their players are dealing with in real time. <\/p>\n

Sasaki had first-hand experience with this one last season when he hurt his shoulder.<\/p>\n

In Japan, if he were to flag discomfort in his shoulder, Sasaki said, the coaching staff\u2019s response would be to point out that everyone\u2019s dealing with aches and pains, so he doesn\u2019t have to bring it up.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut here, if something happens to your body, you have to tell them right away,\u201d Sasaki said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to hide it.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Americans put a high emphasis on confidence in their professional athletes.<\/p>\n

Breaking down what went right in a bad outing (along with what went wrong) during postgame interviews has been new for Sasaki.<\/p>\n

In Japan, after a rough start, he didn\u2019t feel the need to talk about silver linings.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody tells you about the culture,\u201d Sasaki said. \u201cSo I couldn\u2019t really tell what you guys wanted in an interview, or when I talked to you guys. So, if I knew that kind of stuff earlier, then I could have reacted in a different way, so that I could make you guys understand a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Edgardo <\/p>\n

Edgardo Henriquez, left, bumps fists with Roki Sasaki in the dugout at Dodger Stadium on May 14.<\/p>\n

(Jayne Kamin-Oncea \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

For guidance, he\u2019s leaned on Smith and Will Ireton, the Dodgers\u2019 director of Japanese player operations and strategy and Ohtani\u2019s interpreter.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best advice he\u2019s received from them?<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Japan, being humble is \u2026 really important,\u201d Sasaki said. \u201cSo whatever happens, and whatever I do, I\u2019ve got to be humble. But here, once you make it, you have to be like, \u2018I\u2019m the one.\u2019 It\u2019s not showing off, but you don\u2019t have to be really humble. You\u2019ve got to show what you\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s the better results, or a shift in mindset, Sasaki has, indeed, seemed to carry himself with a touch more swagger lately.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys love him,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cGuys really like Roki.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to teammates, Sasaki has grown close with the Dodgers bullpen catchers, Hamlet Marte and Francisco Herrera. He picked up some Spanish from Latino teammates in Japan that he uses to help bridge the language barrier.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been trying to make him feel comfortable,\u201d Herrera said. \u201cSo it\u2019s a good thing that he\u2019s opening up a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marte, who catches Sasaki most often, can be spotted shouting to Sasaki in Japanese from across the clubhouse or running through dynamic stretches with him before side sessions. Anime has been an in with Sasaki for both of them, Herrera said.<\/p>\n

Many of those now close to Sasaki are protective of the blossoming MLB starter \u2014 who endured the death of his father in a tsunami at a young age<\/a> and has already weathered extensive outside criticism<\/a> in his professional baseball career \u2014 as he navigates this new chapter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him at the very beginning,\u201d Smith said, \u201cyou\u2019ve just got to stick with us, be confident, and know who you are. And when you\u2019re raising that trophy at the end of the year, I remember I told you this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the league recognized Saski\u2019s talent in the last years of his NPB career. Before the Dodgers signed him in January 2025, two-thirds of the teams in MLB sent in initial pitches, according to his agent Joel Wolfe. Because Sasaki hadn\u2019t waited to enter regular free agency, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a> had when he inked a 12-year contract worth $325 million with Dodgers, team finances didn\u2019t limit the field.<\/p>\n

Sasaki\u2019s transition to MLB, however, was interrupted by what the Dodgers called a right shoulder impingement. Just eight starts into the season, he was sidelined, and pulled out of the usual cycle of in-game feedback followed by meetings and side work with the coaching staff.<\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez pats pitcher Roki Sasaki on the head in between innings at Dodger Stadium on May 11.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bolanos\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to overplay it, but I don\u2019t want to undersell it [either],\u201d pitching coach Mark Prior said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re pitching and you\u2019re in it, there\u2019s back and forth, there\u2019s more dialogue that happens about, \u2018What is the game ultimately telling you?\u2019 \u2026 Ultimately, for us to get everybody collectively in the right spot, it takes time of learning each other in those moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

They finally got again in late September and into the offseason, albeit in a different role.<\/p>\n

Sasaki thrived coming out of the bullpen<\/a> in the eighth and ninth innings, allowing just one earned run in nine postseason appearances.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat helped me build a good relationship with the coaches,\u201d Sasaki said.<\/p>\n

Back in the rotation, Sasaki\u2019s conversations with the coaching staff have shifted, compared to this time last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, especially, I feel like we\u2019re focusing on talking about game plan and sequencing, because I feel healthy right now,\u201d Sasaki said. \u201cLast year I got hurt, so I\u2019m thinking about my mechanics, all that stuff. So this is a big difference right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts noticed the change long before Sasaki\u2019s strong May performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trust on both sides has continued to get stronger,\u201d Roberts said in early April. \u201cAnd that\u2019s understandable. That takes time. He and the pitching coaches are having much more dialogue. He\u2019s expressing his thoughts, which has been great. And I think we\u2019re seeing the benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then, the fruits of that evolving relationship have included a new, harder splitter, and even more recently, an uptick in fastball velocity.<\/p>\n

And remember, it\u2019s still just the beginning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Roki Sasaki, it turns out, can be quite the jokester. In contrast to the 24-year-old right-hander\u2019s more reserved…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[61342,142546,426,142545,6135,6763,48,52,51,7036,47,50,49,1741,1334,27123,53658,424,5884,24126,96254],"class_list":["post-347894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-coaching-staff","tag-different-side","tag-dodgers","tag-francisco-herrera","tag-guy","tag-japan","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-last-year","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-lot","tag-mlb","tag-past-year","tag-real-time","tag-roberts","tag-roki-sasaki","tag-sasaki","tag-young-player"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}