“Teach this kid”- Dodgers fans react to Roki Sasaki’s struggles with command against Detroit Tigers

The buzz around the Dodgers’ young pitching star Roki Sasaki seems to be coming to a rest. From generating waves in the MLB world way before he was drafted officially to captivating the cameras during the Dodgers' spring training, Sasaki had already become a sensational face in the baseball fraternity. However, during the opening day game in Tokyo and the recent face-off against the Detroit Tigers, the 23-year-old Japanese pitcher showed irregularities on the field and also struggled with his command. Dodgers fans did not leave a minute before blasting Roki Sasaki on social media for his performance against the Tigers.
Right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki has managed to grab the attention of the Dodgers fans but for the wrong reasons. The Japanese pitching prodigy witnessed a meteoric rise in the MLB, but his Los Angeles Dodger Stadium debut was short-lived as Sasaki grappled with his command. Reportedly, he issued four walks and managed to get only 5 outs during 61 pitches to only 12 batters before he was pulled out by the Dodgers’ manager, Dave Roberts.

Dodgers fans blasted Sasaki on social media. From labeling him as a kid to a complete waste, the netizens did not leave a chance to criticize the young pitcher. An MLB fan even mentioned that Sasaki is a kid and he should be trained well.
“Better teach this kid some control before he kills somebody.”

A Dodgers fan even compared Sasaki with Bobby Miller.
"Roki sucks lol. You can literally send Bobby Miller to pitch in Japan, and he'll probably dominate against batters who can't hit and come back to the States and get a 300 million dollar contract with inflated numbers in Japan."

A netizen took a dig at Sasaki and said-
"He really tore it up in his 70-pitch, 1-inning outing lol."

Roki Sasaki was also compared to garbage by an X user.
"Dude was total garbage hahaha."

"And he didn’t last long."

An MLB fan blamed Sasaki for ruining the sport.
"Watering down the sport, congrats!"

A netizen even took a jibe at the overall payroll of the Dodgers.
"500 billion dollar payroll and are glorified for being good."

An X user even mentioned-
"They should play the song.' So I creep, yeah, just keep it on the down low' in the #Dodgers clubhouse. #LOL"

A user even spoke about MLB in a bad taste.
"MLB is trash. You will be playing basketball soon. Garbage. The Dodgers are destroying baseball with their payroll. Fuck baseball."

Despite all the backlash on the internet, it is way too early to talk negatively about the Dodgers’ young pitcher, as the 2025 MLB season has just started. Apart from the commanding issues, the Chiba Lotte Marines alum was unable to make his presence felt on the field. Roki Sasaki made his debut in front of his home crowd in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs