The Los Angeles Dodgers Coaches Reveal Which Player They Were Inspired By When Drawing Up the Game Plan for Roki Sasaki

In a sport that has seen its fair share of international talent make waves, Japan’s Roki Sasaki stands out as one of the brightest young pitchers to emerge from the nation’s esteemed baseball system in years. With his explosive fastball, devastating splitter, and a pitching style that blends power with precision, Sasaki has quickly become a global sensation, drawing comparisons to some of the greatest pitchers in the world.

When it was announced that the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team with a rich history of success and a knack for developing and utilizing pitching talent, would face off against Sasaki, many wondered how the Dodgers’ coaches would prepare for a pitcher of his caliber. Known for their meticulous scouting, data-driven approach, and adaptability, the Dodgers coaching staff faced the challenge of drawing up a game plan for a pitcher who many regarded as an enigma—a young talent capable of baffling even the most seasoned hitters.

But instead of simply treating Sasaki as a unique anomaly, the Dodgers’ coaches looked to another player, whose style and approach shared similarities with the Japanese phenom. This player was none other than Yu Darvish, another pitcher who made his way from Japan to Major League Baseball, where he became one of the most dominant and versatile pitchers in the league.

As the Dodgers’ coaching staff began to analyze Sasaki’s strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies, they realized that Darvish’s blend of experience and arsenal of pitches offered a blueprint for how to approach Sasaki. While there are certainly differences between the two pitchers, the coaching staff drew inspiration from Darvish’s ability to handle different pitching situations and approach hitters with a varied and unpredictable style.

Roki Sasaki: The Japanese Phenom

Before diving into how the Dodgers’ coaches crafted their game plan, it’s crucial to understand what makes Roki Sasaki such a difficult pitcher to face. At just 21 years old, Sasaki is already one of the best pitchers in Japan, playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league. His rise to stardom came rapidly, with his 2021 season being nothing short of legendary.

Sasaki is known for his incredible velocity, with his fastball regularly clocking in at 102 mph (164 km/h)—an astonishing speed for a pitcher in his early 20s. But his fastball is just one component of his electric arsenal. Sasaki’s splitter is a pitch that generates a ton of swing-and-miss action, with the ball diving sharply as it approaches the plate. Additionally, he has a devastating slider, and his control has been growing by the day. The combination of his raw stuff, ability to manipulate pitches, and mental toughness on the mound makes Sasaki a nightmare for opposing batters.

The hype surrounding Sasaki grew when he threw back-to-back perfect games in the NPB—something that had not been done in nearly 30 years. His impeccable control, pinpoint accuracy, and ability to work all parts of the strike zone left scouts and fans alike in awe. With his meteoric rise and rapid development, it was only a matter of time before Major League Baseball took notice.

Yu Darvish: The Japanese Ace Who Found Success in MLB

While Sasaki’s potential is still being fully realized, Yu Darvish serves as a template for what success in Major League Baseball looks like for a Japanese pitcher. Darvish made his MLB debut in 2012 with the Texas Rangers, and since then, he has established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in the league. With a career that has spanned over a decade, Darvish’s ability to adapt and evolve his pitching style has kept him consistently effective.

Darvish is widely known for his diverse pitch arsenal. Over the years, he has developed a repertoire that includes a fastball, slider, curveball, splitter, cutter, and changeup—a wide range of pitches that make him incredibly difficult to predict. It’s this unpredictability and versatility that the Dodgers coaches looked to when crafting their approach to Sasaki.

Beyond his physical tools, Darvish’s success in the MLB is also a result of his mental approach to the game. His experience in navigating through lineups, adjusting to different hitters, and using his pitch selection wisely has made him a formidable force. This combination of physical tools and mental acuity made Darvish the ideal model for Sasaki, who shares many of the same pitch types and uses similar strategies to attack hitters.

Drawing Inspiration: How the Dodgers Coaches Approach Sasaki

The Dodgers’ coaching staff is known for their meticulous attention to detail and their ability to leverage advanced analytics to give their players the best chance of success. So when it came time to prepare for Sasaki, the team dug deep into their scouting reports, video analysis, and discussions with players who had faced similar types of pitchers. The key takeaway from all of this was that they needed to approach Sasaki much like they would approach Darvish, a pitcher with an extensive arsenal of pitches and a deceptive approach to each at-bat.

1. The Importance of Plate Discipline

Both Sasaki and Darvish rely heavily on working the corners of the strike zone. Sasaki’s fastball has the kind of velocity that forces hitters to make quick decisions, and his splitter can make batters swing and miss at pitches they think are within their range. Similarly, Darvish’s slider and cutter are known for breaking sharply, often forcing batters to chase out of the strike zone.

To combat this, the Dodgers’ coaches emphasized the importance of plate discipline. They knew that both pitchers would try to get batters to expand the zone, so the key was for hitters to remain patient and selective. The Dodgers’ strategy was to force Sasaki to come into the strike zone by laying off pitches that were just out of reach, forcing him to throw strikes and be more predictable.

2. Leveraging the Splitter: Timing and Patience

Both Sasaki and Darvish have lethal splitters in their arsenals, and this pitch plays a central role in how they attack hitters. The splitter is notoriously difficult to pick up, especially when it drops off the table at the last second. Batters are often fooled into thinking the pitch is a fastball, only to have it plummet out of the strike zone.

In facing both pitchers, the Dodgers’ coaches stressed that timing would be key. The team worked on identifying the pitch early in the delivery and maintaining patience, as the key to hitting the splitter is resisting the urge to chase it. The coaches also noted that, much like Darvish, Sasaki would sometimes vary the speed and movement of his splitter, so it was essential for hitters to stay disciplined and wait for their pitch.

3. Making Adjustments: Watching Film and Embracing Flexibility

One of the hallmarks of Darvish’s success has been his ability to adjust to hitters throughout the game. He’s known for reading the swings of opposing batters and adjusting his pitch selection based on what’s working. Sasaki, too, is capable of adjusting in the middle of an at-bat, varying his velocity and changing the location of his pitches.

The Dodgers understood that they couldn’t rely on just one approach to Sasaki; they needed to be flexible and make in-game adjustments. The coaching staff emphasized the importance of watching the video feed to track Sasaki’s tendencies throughout the game, paying close attention to how he used different pitches against different hitters. By adapting their strategy, hitters could find weaknesses in Sasaki’s approach and exploit them when the time was right.

4. Utilizing the Dodgers’ Depth and Power

The Dodgers are renowned for their lineup depth and ability to hit for power across all positions. With their unique blend of power hitters and high-contact batters, they believe that they can make life difficult for any pitcher. Against Sasaki, the Dodgers’ coaches wanted their players to stay aggressive but to do so with a sense of control. Rather than going for the big swing right away, hitters were encouraged to take a more calculated approach, waiting for their pitch and trusting their natural power to take over once the right opportunity presented itself.

A Unique Challenge

Facing Roki Sasaki is no easy task, but with the experience of facing pitchers like Yu Darvish, the Los Angeles Dodgers are uniquely equipped to handle the challenge. Both pitchers share similar styles in their use of fastballs, splitters, and sliders, but Sasaki’s youthful explosiveness and raw talent present a new level of difficulty for hitters. The Dodgers’ coaching staff, however, has shown time and time again that they are capable of adapting to even the most difficult challenges.

By drawing inspiration from Darvish, the Dodgers have crafted a thoughtful and adaptive approach to facing Sasaki—one that focuses on plate discipline, timing, and making in-game adjustments. This strategy, while rooted in the experience of facing pitchers like Darvish, will be tested to the fullest as they square off against one of the most talented young pitchers the game has seen in years. As Sasaki’s career continues to evolve, one thing is clear: he’s a pitcher worth watching, and the Dodgers’ ability to prepare for him will be a testament to their coaching staff’s ingenuity and expertise.