{"id":9415,"date":"2026-07-18T08:53:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T03:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9415"},"modified":"2026-07-18T08:53:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T03:53:35","slug":"dodgers-roki-sasaki-flashes-full-potential-with-100-mph-fastball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9415","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers\u2019 Roki Sasaki flashes full potential with 100 mph fastball"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F07%2Fcrop-40020737.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>NEW YORK \u2014 Dave Roberts didn\u2019t indulge the narrative.<\/p>\n<p>But the clock was ticking on <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/10\/sports\/how-dodgers-evaluated-roki-sasakis-rollercoaster-first-half\/\">Roki Sasaki<\/a> nonetheless.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki averaged a career-best 100.1 mph on his fastball Friday night. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This weekend, Blake Snell will begin a rehab assignment for the Dodgers. That means, within a month, the team will have to boot someone from its rotation to make room for his return.<\/p>\n<p>Going into the All-Star break, the natural answer <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/16\/sports\/why-dodgers-first-half-report-card-has-a-wide-range-of-grade\/\">appeared to be Sasaki<\/a>, who finished the first half of the season with a rotation-worst 5.33 ERA.<\/p>\n<p>So, Roberts was asked Friday, how important would these next couple weeks be for Sasaki, as Snell gets close to making his return?<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWell, Snell is starting a rehab assignment, but I wouldn\u2019t say he\u2019s getting close,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNice try,\u201d the veteran manager then added with a sly grin.<\/p>\n<p>Alas, it turned out no public pressure was needed for the 24-year-old phenom to finally turn a corner.<\/p>\n<p>In the Dodgers\u2019 2-1 win over the Yankees on Friday night, Sasaki delivered his most promising outing as a member of the Dodgers\u2019 rotation.<\/p>\n<p>With his fastball playing up at a career-best 100.1 mph average, and his splitter coming out so deceptively that catcher Dalton Rushing joked, \u201cI had trouble catching [it] for half the game, so that\u2019s a pretty good sign,\u201d Sasaki blew the Yankees\u2019 lineup away in a 5 \u2154-inning gem that included only one unearned run.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery impressive,\u201d Roberts said afterward. \u201cGosh, I mean, the velocity, he dialed it up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat,\u201d Rushing added, \u201cwas about as quality as we\u2019ve seen him this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, while Roberts might not have said so pregame, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/07\/10\/sports\/dodgers-post-podcast-roki-sasakis-rollercoaster-first-half\/\">Sasaki desperately needed <em>this<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A night in which he threw more 100 mph fastballs (21) than he had in the entirety of his career as an MLB starter previously (14).\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sasaki threw 21 pitches that were recorded at 100+ mph Friday against the host Yankees. <span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Adam Hunger<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A night in which he went on the attack, put an opposing lineup on their heels and coupled his triple-digit velo (his 21 pitches of 100+ mph were also the most by any Dodgers pitcher since the league began tracking pitch speeds in 2008) with an assortment of swing-and-miss breaking stuff.<\/p>\n<p>A night in which, finally, he looked every bit the part against a legitimate contending team; even if Aaron Judge remains sidelined with a rib injury.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s one game, so I can\u2019t say anything declarative,\u201d Sasaki said in Japanese. \u201cBut it\u2019s the lower body. I reviewed how I use that part, and I think that went well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>This<\/em> is what the Dodgers had expected to see when they signed the much-hyped Sasaki out of Japan last year. <em>This <\/em>is what they\u2019d been waiting to see over his turbulent transition to the majors in the season and a half since.<\/p>\n<p>Granted, as Sasaki noted himself, it was only one game. He has flashed potential before, only to quickly revert to inconsistent form.<\/p>\n<p>Then again, in much the same way Yoshinobu Yamamoto leveled up in a Yankee Stadium start back in 2024, the Dodgers are hoping that Sasaki just did the same.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>California Post News<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCaliforniaPost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@CaliforniaPost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@thecaliforniapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Vb6a2IV1NCrL6q2AWq0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post Sports<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capostsports\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/capostsports\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TikTok<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CaliforniaPostSports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/capostsports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post  <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/californiapost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Opinion<\/a> <br \/><strong>California Post Newsletters<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/email.nypost.com\/#california-post\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here!<\/a><br \/><strong>California Post App<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download here!<\/a><br \/><strong>Home delivery<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.californiapost.com\/defaultCAP\">Sign up here!<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/california-post\/id6751343487\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/><\/a><strong>Page Six Hollywood<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/hollywood-signup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up here!<\/a><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>In his postgame address with reporters, Roberts went so far as to make that comparison unprompted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt sort of reminded me of when Yamamoto was here a couple years ago, and that performance he put out, when the velocity and everything ticked up,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good team over there, on the road, and to battle his emotions and go out there and put forth that effort that he did tonight was fun to watch. So, hopefully, he continues to build on that and keeps getting confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sasaki\u2019s stuff stood out from the get-go, highlighted by a tantalizing sequence against former MVP Paul Goldschmidt to punctuate a 1-2-3 first inning.<\/p>\n<p>At the start of the at-bat, Sasaki pumped a 101.8 mph fastball over the plate for strike one. It was the hardest pitch he had thrown in the majors. After that, Sasaki climbed the ladder with a 101.7 heater that Goldschmidt fouled off. Three pitches later, Sasaki fanned him with a slider in the dirt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI got a big smile on my face when I saw 102,\u201d said Roberts, who noted that Sasaki put in \u201ca lot of work over the break\u201d following his staggeringly inconsistent start to the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was upset I didn\u2019t get an All-Star break,\u201d Sasaki quipped, \u201cso I unleashed that.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Sasaki made a solid bid to keep his spot in the starting rotation. Blake Snell is getting closer to returning after being sidelined.  <span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Adam Hunger<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The rest of the night, Sasaki kept on dealing, holding his 100 mph velocity while breezing through a five-hit, one-walk, five-strikeout performance.<\/p>\n<p>He escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the third by inducing a double-play grounder from Ben Rice with a first-pitch splitter.<\/p>\n<p>He bounced back from his lone run in the fourth, which only scored with the help of a couple defensive mistakes: Andy Pages letting a runner reach third on a double after dropping the ball in the outfield, and Rushing whiffing on a forkball for a run-scoring passed ball.<\/p>\n<p>Unfazed, Sasaki continued to cruise, going blow-for-blow with former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole before finally being removed at 94 pitches following a pair of singles in the sixth.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Cali - Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia&#8217;s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It only lowered his season ERA to 4.98 but encapsulated so much of the potential he has been trying to unlock.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter that first inning \u2026 it was pretty exciting,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cWith Roki, there\u2019s times where he gives up a couple, then he settles down, or he\u2019s good until he\u2019s not. So today he was good all the way through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Remaining this good moving forward will be the challenge now, with Sasaki still needing to show more consistency with his delivery to cement a longer-term rotation spot.<\/p>\n<p>Whether he can remains a question even Roberts couldn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI guess time will tell,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI guess it\u2019s in that bucket.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But now, at least, he has given himself the perfect template to follow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just go back to the conviction that he has,\u201d Rushing said. \u201cWatching him compete on the mound, there was a little bit of a different animal out there tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEW YORK \u2014 Dave Roberts didn\u2019t indulge the narrative. But the clock was ticking on Roki Sasaki nonetheless. Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki averaged a career-best 100.1 mph on his fastball Friday night. Getty Images This weekend, Blake Snell will begin a rehab assignment for the Dodgers. That means, within a month, the team will&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/crop-40020737.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}