Remember Roki Sasaki, the Japanese phenom for whom all 30 teams went mad at one point? All 30 teams competed but only one team came out victorious. The Los Angeles Dodgers. That was true for the 2024 World Series as well wasn’t it? Sasaki just made his debut at the first official game on march 19 in the Dodgers vs the Chicago Cubs and lets just say he propelled his team to victory.

In a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs at the MLB Tokyo Series 2025, the young 23-year-old Japanese pitcher struck out three batters while giving up one earned run on a hit and five walks in three innings. Sasaki had been working on his fastballs and splitter this Spring Training with the Dodgers. LA teammates acknowledged Sasaki’s contribution to the game including none other than the two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani.

The two-way phenom highlights Roki Sasaki’s big contribution 

In a video uploaded by Sportsnet LA, Shohei Ohtani is interviewed after the game. Ohtani was asked how he felt about Roki Sasaki’s big debut. To which Ohtani replied, “I felt a lot more relaxed today overall. I think Roki really did a great job giving us a chance to win today” through an interpreter. Its safe to say that Ohtani has been a number 1 fan of Roki Sasaki since day 1. The 30-year-old had also been a huge part of the whole ‘Bring Roki Sasaki to the Dodgers’ plan.

Rumours were that when Sasaki came to visit the Dodgers fields and the players, Ohtani was ‘driving the bus’. He even brought out his furry friend Decoy to meet Sasaki as it is a well known fact that the young pitcher loves dogs and has one of his own. Ohtani wanted Sasaki to play for the Dodgers and he made sure it happens. Now watching the young pitcher make a fantastic debut would make Shohei Ohtani very proud.

The Dodgers made it a clean sweep in Tokyo  

LA took Game 2 of the series with a 6-3 win over the Cubs, and Alex Vesia earned the save after closing out the ninth inning. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Dodgers, though, as the Cubs showed some fight late in the game. In the seventh inning, with a runner on second and first base open, the Cubs made the decision to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani.

The Tokyo Dome crowd was not pleased with the choice, but it turned out to be a savvy move by Julian Merryweather. Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw made a diving stop to prevent a run from scoring, closing out the inning and keeping the game within reach. The momentum was definitely on Ohtani’s side, though, after he blasted a majestic home run in the fifth.

His blast off Nate Pearson turned the Tokyo Dome into a frenzy, but the Cubs responded right away. In the bottom of the fifth, rookie Matt Shaw made his mark with an infield single that deflected off Jack Dreyer’s glove. That led to Dansby Swanson’s double into the left-field corner, scoring Shaw and cutting the Dodgers’ lead to just three. But the Cubs’ comeback hopes were dashed by a key defensive play and some clutch pitching from the Dodgers.