Roki Sasaki threw a hitless, walk-free inning with two strikeouts for the Dodgers against the Giants on Friday, needing 14 pitches in his second relief appearance of 2026 since returning from the injured list after a middle-finger blister.
According to Baseball Savant, Sasaki’s fastball averaged 100 mph, 2.2 mph above his season average; his splitter was up 1.7 mph and his slider 0.4 mph. In his first relief outing, on Sept. 22, he allowed two hits but stranded both runners and struck out two.
Manager Dave Roberts said Sasaki’s fastball and splitter looked better and called him a more confident pitcher than last year. Roberts also said having more trusted relievers gives the Dodgers options for deploying pitchers in high-leverage situations.
