Roki Sasaki's mind-bending slider on full display in first Dodgers strikeout

While Roki Sasaki's regular-season MLB debut still has yet to unfold, it's safe to say he didn't encounter the same immediate issues as Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his first spring training appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

Piggybacking Yamamoto, he entered in the fifth inning nursing a 2-1 lead (in a fake game) and stared down the barrel of a few significant Cincinnati Reds.

On his very first pitch, Sasaki induced a Noelvi Marte grounder to Mookie Betts in the shortstop spot. While an error by Shortstop Betts would've been an ironic beginning for the Dodgers' newest prize, Freddie Freeman scooped the throw, and this narrative was off to a highly positive start.

Following a line drive single and a hit-by-pitch, Sasaki buckled down and buckled a few knees. His first career strikeout will enter the books in the form of TJ Friedl; he left him looking at an 86 MPH slider with curveball break. Seconds later, he caught Matt McLain on a splitter. Sasaki's velocity peaked at 99.2 MPH in the inning.

Dodgers phenom Roki Sasaki makes quick work of Reds with two strikeouts in spring training debut

That's the best part of rooting for the Dodgers, isn't it? This game doesn't matter one iota, and still, thanks to Yamamoto and Sasaki, fans are locked into every second.

Now, all eyes will turn to the Tokyo Series, as the Dodgers will face off with the Cubs in regular season contests overseas on March 18 and 19, preceded by exhibition battles with the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants. Dave Roberts has been noncommittal (naturally) about whether Sasaki will get the start in either of the games that count, but it stands to reason he'd be prominently involved in the festivities regardless, with plenty of eyes remaining on Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani as well.

If you'd like to get a ticket to the event in Tokyo, prepare to liquidate a good deal of your assets.

It's early yet, but Sasaki has already proven himself to be a master of the called strikeout, able to mix a remarkable number of pitches together at a very young age to catch batters in-between. Tuesday was just the first step for No. 11, but it was still an impressive one that showed his arsenal was well beyond his years.