Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki follows in the footsteps of his Japanese countrymen on Wednesday when he makes his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series.
Shohei Ohtani collected two hits and two runs and Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed five strong innings as the Dodgers raised the curtain on the MLB season with a 4-1 victory on Tuesday.
Sasaki, 23, aims to make his mark after signing with Los Angeles on a minor league contract with a $6.5 million bonus. The hurler totaled seven strikeouts over seven scoreless innings in a pair of Cactus League games.
"I literally was in Japan up until a couple months ago, so it's exciting for me to be able to perform in front of them again in a different uniform and with the Dodgers team," Sasaki said. "There's been a lot of television coverage in the last year. All of the Dodgers games are televised here in Japan, and I think it helped a lot that the Dodgers won the World Series."
Sasaki became a folk hero when he set a fastball record for high schoolers with a 101 mph clocking and introduced himself on the world stage during the World Baseball Classic in 2023.
He also set a single-game record in Japan in 2022 with 19 strikeouts -- including a stretch of 13 in a row -- in a perfect game.
Sasaki also may not have to go a long way given the considerable depth of the Dodgers' bullpen. Five relievers combined for five strikeouts without allowing a hit over four scoreless innings in the opener.
Chicago left-hander Justin Steele (5-5, 3.07 ERA in 24 starts last season) will provide the opposition on Wednesday.
Steele, 29, was the Cubs' Opening Day starter last year following a sterling 2023 season in which he was an All-Star and finished fifth in balloting for the National Cy Young Award.
Steele is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against the Dodgers.
He'll be tasked with showing better control than his teammates did during the season opener. Japan native Shota Imanaga, who is known for his command, issued a career-high four walks in four innings and the relievers issued four more.
The Cubs also didn't help themselves by committing two errors on Tuesday and going 0-for-16 with six strikeouts following Ian Happ's single in the third inning.
"We cost us a run in the fifth certainly, couple extra pitches," Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. "The (Matt) Shaw error didn't end up costing us, but the throwing error and the double play (attempt) at second that we probably should've have just ate -- that ended costing us a run. You play a team like the Dodgers, you have to do a lot of things right -- and that includes defensively."
Dodgers eight-time All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman was scratched from the season opener with left rib discomfort, prompting Enrique Hernandez to play first base, with Michael Conforto in left field. The Dodgers' medical staff gave Freeman a 75-percent chance of playing Wednesday.
Los Angeles shortstop Mookie Betts (illness), who already has been ruled out for both games in Japan, returned to Los Angeles on Monday.
--Field Level Media
