Roki Sasaki’s 10 strikeouts, a harder splitter and a long-awaited breakthrough for the Dodgers

Sasaki notched his first career scoreless start after 18 previous starts. He threw 98 pitches, 72 for strikes, generating his second-best strike percentage of 73.5% in a start. He reached 100.4 mph.

“He went through some tough times and some doubts,” manager Dave Roberts said, “but he’s gotten to the other side.”

Roberts sent Sasaki back out for the seventh inning to see how the youngster would respond in a scoreless game. Sasaki retired the side, striking out two.

“He was on the attack, he didn't run,” Roberts said. “That shows a lot of growth.”

Sasaki was expected to be the next big thing coming out of Nippon Professional Baseball. But he failed to crack the Dodgers' starting rotation as a rookie. His sad face and teary eyes in his U.S. debut was shown on Japanese television, triggering some unflattering reaction on social media and around baseball.

“We all felt sorry for him,” Roberts recalled.

Sasaki's poor body language on the mound tipped opposing hitters to a lack of confidence, too.

He then missed 4 1/2 months with shoulder issues before returning as the team's closer during its postseason run to a second straight World Series.

But he arrived to spring training and walked 15 batters, again raising concerns about his ability to perform as a starter and shaking his confidence.

Over the last month, however, Sasaki has built consistency thanks to a harder splitter that touches 90 mph and complements his fastball and slider as well as improving his command.

“There is an adjustment with the ball that he had to make with his grip,” Roberts said. “You can see his demeanor on the mound. There’s just no more doubt and uncertainty."

Sasaki lowered his ERA to 4.03 and he has a 1.48 ERA over his last four starts.

“I'm just doing small things all the time, and I just keep building on it,” he said through a translator.

The Dodgers beat the Angels on Freeman's sixth career walkoff home run after both teams had three hits apiece.

“Roki has really turned the corner here and it’s fun to watch,” Freeman said, “especially after last year grinding, coming back as a bullpen guy. He just looks great out there.”

Freeman and catcher Will Smith are among a clubhouse full of teammates rooting for Sasaki to succeed on a team in which his fellow Japanese — two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — set high standards.

“You can see the care factor, the drive he’s got,” Smith said. “It’s good to see the benefits right now.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB