Los Angeles right-hander Loki Sasaki struggled with his Stadium debut. The start wasn’t picturesque as the 23-year-old lasted just 1.2 innings before manager Dave Roberts made any pitching changes.
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When the team looked for Sasaki this offseason, it wasn’t because he was a finished product. He never even threw one pitch in major league baseball.
However, after walking four with five outs and a four, Sasaki got off to another uncharacteristic start. He finished out with three hits and two runs. The right-hander abandoned 32 strikes out of 61 pitches.
The command was a problem, his splitter was tricked by no one and he was slowing down. As Sasaki moved towards the dugout, he was visibly emotional after less than an ideal start.
“I don’t think I can fix everything in a short time,” Sasaki said following a 7-3 victory on Saturday night. “That being said, I’m going to pitch every week, so I hope I can go out of quality as a major league pitcher, but that’s something I expect to be working on forever.”
The rookie experience can be challenging, and the good news is that the don’t need Sasaki to become a jump star. However, Sasaki will face the biggest challenges of his major league career in the next start with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sasaki may not be able to control the story surrounding every move on the Mound, but he is able to control his response to the adversity he faces.
The right-hander writes his own story.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Coby Bryant once said: “If I fail today, I’ll learn something from that mistake. I’ll try again.”
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Photo credit: Jonathan Hui-Immagn Image
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