The baseball community has long looked forward to seeing how Roki Sasaki's pitching will play out in MLB, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the winners of "Sasaki Scramble," were the first to see how he might pitch and strategy against a major league hitter.

On Wednesday, Sasaki ushered in his first hands-on shot practice of the spring, which attracted a large crowd. Not only fans, but dozens of teammates, coaches and team management stood behind home plate and watched from the side.

"I'm not nervous," Sasaki said, translated by Yuji Akimoto, director of baseball product development for the Dodgers, "but this is the first time I've used a major league ball against a hitter, and it's the first time I've pitched in a similar game environment after a while, and I just want to get a feel for the situation and get used to the rhythm of the game." ”

Sasaki threw two innings, was knocked out of two flat flights, and the rest of the time the ball was mostly handled on the ground. The 23-year-old right-hand pitcher mainly throws fast balls and knuckle balls, with the occasional slippery ball, which still needs more practice for him.

Sasaki believes Wednesday's hands-on batting practice was an improvement over his two cowshed practices at training camp.

"Overall, my ball speed is better," Sasaki said, "and the hitter was in the strike zone, and although I threw a lot of bad shots, I felt like I was basically on target with the ball." ”

Sasaki's speed ball, in particular, is in the spotlight this spring. His signature path is known for its versatility, as he once denied Eddie Rosario's swing twice in a row, his only strikeout of the practice.

"It's hard to hit his ball," Rosario then commented. The veteran outfielder, who represented the Atlanta Braves against the Dodgers in the 2021 Nations League Championship Game and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Nations League Championship, was invited to training camp as an off-squad player. He added that the variation of the finger cross ball is elusive and that each ball is in a different position inside and outside the good ball zone.

"There's a big difference between a finger ball and a fast ball," said Tommy Edman, who hit a hit from Sasaki's hand, "and the fast ball has a noticeable rise and lateral movement, while the finger ball has a strong sense of falling." I guess that's why these two balls work so well together. ”

Skateballs are more mysterious. Sasaki is primarily focused on sharpening the combination of fast balls and knuckle balls for the game, so he is gradually increasing the frequency of his sliders. He threw a slider to Eedman and a couple to experienced infielder David Bote, who also participated in training camp as a non-squad invitee.

"It's hard to say how it compares to what he's practiced before," said Bote, who hit another hit from Sasaki, "but he's still young and trying to perfect what he needs to do." So, moving in the direction that the pitcher coach wants him to develop, I think he's going to be where he should be. ”

As Sasaki continues to work to improve his skate, there have been questions about whether he needs to master a reliable way to succeed as a major league starting pitcher. The Dodgers want to continue to enrich Sasaki's pitching arsenal, but their priority is to help him adjust to life in the major leagues before focusing on adjustments.

Even so, the team is confident in Sasaki's abilities.

"I think with his ability to handle the ball and his speed, his control and his knuckle ball, he can basically get his footing on both sides of the ball and the other ways of playing are just the icing on the cake," said general manager Brandon Gomes. ”

Sasaki's response to receiving more attention was also appreciated by his teammates. Several Dodgers players said they had never seen a real batting practice draw so much attention, let alone so many people in attendance.

"It takes a lot of courage to play in front of so many people, with almost 50 people behind you and doing real shots," Bot said, "so he was able to step up and show what he was capable of, how he pitched and how he could handle everything...... He looks like he's got a strong mentality, and I think that's going to make him a better pitcher. ”