Spring Training is drawing to a close, and there's nothing quite like putting a capper to the preseason by delivering an outstanding pitching performance. On Tuesday, Roki Sasaki delivered a gem for the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching in four innings and allowing just one hit, two walks, while striking out two batters in what ended up being a 10-4 win for them over the Cleveland Guardians.

Sasaki is expected to play a huge role for the Dodgers' stacked starting rotation, and has shown flashes of being a strikeout machine in Spring — even recording two punchouts in his very first taste of big-league action. And the 23-year-old Japanese international has high standards for himself that he wants to clean up his performances even further — doing so before the regular season starts with the Tokyo Series on March 17.

“There were a few more things that didn't go the way I wanted today and I reverted to some bad habits that I developed, but to have those come out in a game before opening day so I can address them in time is a good thing,” Sasaki said through his translator, via SportsNet LA on X (formerly Twitter).

In particular, Sasaki pointed out that while he's going to stick with his usual pregame routine, he is going to do some tweaking with the mechanics of the lower-half of his body.

“The things that I was doing to prepare for the game was the same as last time, so I'm going to stick to that for my next start as well. But I think there were just a few things with the way I was using my lower half. Just some inconsistency between the things I was trying to do and what was happening,” Sasaki added.

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The 23-year-old is expected to start for the Dodgers in the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs, and he would love nothing more than to put on a show in front of the fans in his home country.

Roki Sasaki prepares to bring the gas for the Dodgers

Mar 4, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki against the Cincinnati Reds during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Roki Sasaki's fastball is one of his main strengths as a pitcher; his fastball touches 99 miles per hour on the regular, and he plays off of that with his nasty splitter-slider combination. He cannot wait to show Dodgers fans and everyone in the world what he's capable of.

“To be able to pitch in Japan is gonna be a really special and unique opportunity. Obviously, being able to pitch in the major leagues is something I've worked for a long time to be able to do, so I'm really excited,” Sasaki said.