Los Angeles right-hander Loki Sasaki found his one against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. He struggled with two previous starts, but the Japanese fireball looked like himself at Citizens Bank Park.
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Sasaki’s final stat line included four strikeouts, three hits, two walks and one run acquired. The right-hander retired 12 of the 17 batsmen he faced after giving up a single on his back after running in the first innings.
“I was looking for something I was confident about,” Sasaki said through an interpreter. “So what I learned this time is that it’s really important to have confidence based on adjustments, some skills.”
Sasaki revealed he was confident in his bullpen session two days before his Saturday outing. The adjustment allowed him to take advantage of his lower half better, which increased his confidence.
“But you have to pitch in the game to see if it actually happens during the bullpen or practice,” he said.
For Sasaki, the difference between Saturday and his previous two major league starts was a mechanical fix.
“It was more of a mechanical basis, not a way of thinking,” Sasaki said. “It felt like last time. I felt like I wanted to throw a strike, but I couldn’t. And I really worked on the mechanical side of the game and felt like I could do that today.”
Manager Dave Roberts spoke about Sasaki’s successful start to the Phillies, citing how important it is to rookie morale.
“He needed that,” Roberts said. “He probably won’t let you know how much he needs it, but I think it was certainly a big positive to get a major league start and how the first couple succeeded, how successful they were, and how they left the game after leading the game.
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Photo credit: Bill Streicher-Immagn Image
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