Los Angeles Dodgers Slugger Max Muncy & Roki Sasaki – IMAGN

Max Muncy and the Los Angeles Dodgers had a great first game in the Tokyo Dome. While they could not get to Shota Imanaga, they were able to make the Chicago Cubs pay after he was lifted.

The Blue Crew went on to win Game 1 of the Tokyo Series by a score of 4-1. It was a great start to their World Series defending season, but they now have Game 2 on their minds.

For Game 2, L.A. will hand the ball to Roki Sasaki. It will be his MLB debut and all eyes will be on him. Muncy understands the magnitude of the situation and hopes his teammate can deliver.

“I’m sure he’s going to be pretty amped up for his first start for us tomorrow. And hopefully he can get his nerves under control and not be too erratic,” said Muncy.

There is without a doubt a ton of pressure riding on Sasaki tomorrow. However, that is not the message his club is giving him. They want him to come out and enjoy himself and the moment.

“We tried to tell him that there’s no pressure on him. I mean, [Yoshinobu Yamamoto] for us last year in Korea, you know, hardly made it out of the first inning. And so, there’s no pressure. You just go out there and be who you are,” he added.

Muncy points to Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s shaky Dodgers debut last year in Korea. Despite that, he was able to bounce back and quickly became one of the club’s aces throughout the regular season.

What to expect from Roki Sasaki on the mound for the Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers – Roki Sasaki (Photo via IMAGN)

Outside of Juan Soto, Roki Sasaki was one of the most sought-after free agents this past offseason. MLB teams have closely watched him shine in Japan over the years, becoming a league-wide star.

For starters, he has a fastball that he can ramp up to 102 mph. That alone can play in the big leagues, but he also has some other pitches that make his fastball even better.

The Dodgers rookie’s splitter is about as good as it gets. He uses it as an out pitch, which works effectively when paired with his fastball. His splitter dives right off the table and he can throw it at 90 mph.

He rounds out his three-pitch mix with a slider. It has a great spin rate, and the Chicago Cubs will likely see plenty of them when he steps on the rubber for Game 2.