The pitch was barely 1.2 innings deep when Roki Sasaki walked off the mound, eyes fixed on the ground, frustration etched across his face. It was a cold welcome to the big leagues—two runs on three hits, an early hook, and a flurry of murmurs in the stands. In the dugout, cameras caught him clutching his cap, his head down, processing. For a 23-year-old, whose arrival was hyped like a blockbuster debut, the spotlight quickly turned into a microscope.

But here’s the thing—Roki Sasaki was never sold as a finished product. The Dodgers knew this. Scouts whispered it. Opponents are already seeing it. He’s a pitcher still writing his script. The stuff is electric, yes, but inconsistent. The fastball can touch 99, yet the command wavers. The splitter? Deadly, but only when it lands. The slider? So far, a no-show. Still, despite the incomplete arsenal, there’s a ripple effect happening—and the league is noticing. And now he’s got the backing of one of the top analysts in MLB too!

“He’s a work in progress, yes,” Ken Rosenthal explained during a FOX Sports segment. “But people are underestimating what he’s already doing just by stepping on that mound. Opposing teams are adjusting their lineups to face him. That doesn’t happen unless there’s real fear in that arm.”

But Rosenthal wasn’t sugarcoating it either. “He needs a third pitch, absolutely. But let’s not ignore the fact that even with two, he’s causing adjustments in opposing lineups.” You can’t teach that kind of impact. Sasaki’s raw. He knows it. The Dodgers know it. The league knows it. But the fact that teams are already strategizing around him says everything about his potential ceiling.

So here’s the bottom line: while Sasaki’s command has wavered, and while we’ve only seen flashes of his splitter and barely a hint of the slider, rival teams already respect him. They’re building game plans around a 23-year-old who hasn’t even fully arrived yet. That says a lot more than a 5.40 ERA ever could. Why?

Because when Roki Sasaki’s fastball does click – when it touches 99 with late ride – it changes the tone of an entire at-bat. His splitter drops off the table with such violence that even veteran hitters look foolish. And while he might still be waiting for a well-earned time in the limelight, he’s already making a difference in the star-studded Dodgers’ roster.

Roki Sasaki still searching for first big win, but makes presence felt in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory

In Saturday’s game, Roki Sasaki didn’t have a got at his first major league victory. However, he displayed a glimpse of why the Dodgers have hopes for him. The Japanese pitcher reached the inning for the first time and gave up only one run off four hits despite facing challenges early in the game from batters like Turner and Schwarber before finding his rhythm.

Sasaki’s command was sharper that his previous games, his splitter kept Phillies hitters guessing, and most importantly—he competed. Sasaki exited after 68 pitches following a leadoff walk and single in the fifth, giving way to a locked in bullpen that took care of the rest.

Anthony Banda came in and immediately bailed him out, inducing a flyout before right fielder Teoscar Hernández turned a Kyle Schwarber liner into a momentum-shifting double play. Banda, Ben Casparius, Alex Vesia, and Tanner Scott combined for a scoreless, one-hit relief, with Scott locking down his third save of the season. Offensively, it was the veterans who stepped up—Hernández launched a two-run shot in the second off Aaron Nola, and Michael Conforto added insurance with a solo homer in the sixth.

The Dodgers, now 9-1, are off to a sizzling start. And while Sasaki’s first massive win still awaits, his growth is already showing up where it matters most: the team’s win column, and the confidence of his fellow Dodgers.