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| 사사키 로키. AP Yonhap News |
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| LA Dodgers' Roki Sasaki is delighted with Andy Pazs after finishing the NLCS Game 4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on October 18 (Korea time). UPI Yonhap News |
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Roki Sasaki didn't get a single point in the voting for this year's 'NL Rookie of the Year'. None of the 30 BBWAA (National Baseball Writers Association) voting groups even gave him the fifth-place vote. Prior to the season, he was considered a strong candidate for the Rookie of the Year, led by local media, but his jagged pitching was broken from the beginning, and after May 10, he was diagnosed with right shoulder collision syndrome and went on the IL and stuck to rehabilitation for more than four months.
But Sasaki's potential exploded in the fall. However, the position was not selected. He finished the postseason with three saves, two holds and a 0.84 ERA in nine games. He gave up six hits and five walks in 10 ⅔ innings and struck out six, so it is not unreasonable to say that he was close to perfection.
In the regular season, Sasaki threw 36 ⅓ innings in 10 games, failing to meet expectations with 1-1 wins, 2 holds, 4.46 ERA and 1.43 WHIP.
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| Loki Sasaki's fastball speed recovered to an average of 99 miles in the postseason. ImagesYonhap News |
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The biggest income Sasaki confirmed as he threw at the end of the postseason was also the recovery of his fastball speed. In the regular season, there were only eight fastballs over 99 miles, but since returning at the end of the season and throwing into the bullpen on Sept. 25 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, 46 fastballs have hit more than 99 miles. In the postseason, 37 fastballs were 99 miles or more.
Let's take a closer look at how fast Sasaki's restraint has accelerated before and after his shoulder injury.
During the regular season, his fastball speed was only up to 100.5 miles and an average of 96.1 miles. Two fastballs over 100 miles came in the second game of the opening two consecutive games against the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome on March 20 and one against the Seattle Mariners, who returned from injury in September and took the mound as relief. He has never thrown a 100-mile fastball in a game where he came to the U.S. mainland and started.
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| Shohei Ohtani welcomed the revival of Loki Sasaki more than anyone else. AFP Yonhap News |
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However, Sasaki raised his presence with a powerful finish, spraying a four-seam fastball of up to 101.4 miles and an average of 98.9 miles in the postseason. It's not just getting faster. Control is in place. Both the fastball and the splitter threw with stable control, so the pitching content was inevitably good. Sasaki, who had 22 walks and 24 strikeouts during his start, has seen his walk rate (14.3% → 10.0%) decrease and his strikeout rate (15.6% → 20.0%) increase since changing his position to relief. As the fastball survived, the power of the splitter doubled.
MLB.com said that Sasaki's overall pitching skills as a reliever are close to what the clubs expected when he negotiated posting a year ago. He also predicted positively, saying, 'The Dodgers have been waiting all year, and they are expected to throw better next season.
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| Sasaki Rocky will return to the rotation next season. AFP Yonhap News |
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There was also a phenomenon of concern. Fastball fastballs were usually formed at 99 to 100 miles in the Division Series, but they were about a mile slower in the NLCS and the World Series. In other words, the average fastball speed in five World Series games against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Toronto Blue Jays was 98.3 miles, far below 99.9 miles in four Wild Card Series games against the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies. However, this is attributed to the physical burden of taking the mound in Game 1 of the NLCS after only three days off after throwing 36 pitches in three innings in Game 4 of the Division Series.
If he returns to the rotation next season, concerns about this part may be ahead. However, the burden on the mind and body is clearly different from waiting for the dispenser and starting boards after taking five to six days off on a regular basis.
MLB.com said, `Sasaki trained for just two to three weeks at the Dodgers camp before participating in this year's regular season, and he will be able to prepare for a few months ahead of next season,' adding, `The most important conclusion he got from finishing is that he confirmed his powerful pitching, and that he only has to show himself as a starting pitcher now.'
Then, it is expected that he may be considered a candidate for the Cy Young Award next season.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
