Viral Roki Sasaki clip reignites Dodgers fans' frustrations as struggles return

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki has always worn his emotions on his sleeve. On Friday, those emotions were back as Sasaki struggled through a start against the San Diego Padres, ultimately allowing three earned runs and tallying five walks to just two strikeouts in four innings of work.

What doomed Sasaki most of all was a three-run shot in the second inning from Padres first baseman Ty France. After walking Manny Machado and Gavin Sheets earlier in the inning, Sasaki was ahead 0-2 in the count against France, but left an off-speed pitch way too much in the zone. France obliterated the baseball into the left field stands at Petco Park, giving the Padres a 3-1 lead and the eventual win.

A clip of a teary-eyed Sasaki lamenting his performance in the Dodgers dugout went viral on social media, with many Dodgers fans wondering if this is just the standard now — wildly inconsistent outings with the poor ones magnified by these snapshots in the dugout.

This isn't the first time Sasaki has cried following an ugly start. While some fans might find his emotions refreshing in a professional sports sphere where that stuff is rarely seen, others are just hoping Sasaki can establish some consistency, tears notwithstanding.

The right-hander was awesome in May and has made some starts this year that were incredibly encouraging when it comes to his status as a starting pitcher on a World Series contender. Even when Sasaki seemingly thrives, though, there are always little details that fans pick up on that undermine the excitement somewhat. Some of those same fans have downright given up on Sasaki as a viable starter.

Don't count Dodgers manager Dave Roberts among Roki Sasaki's detractors

Sasaki's velocity was very solid on Friday, and Roberts made sure to point that out to reporters following the game. Roberts believes that Sasaki's problems are more mental than mechanical. But what about Sasaki's awful command with his splitter on Friday? And even if his problems are purely mental, why should Dodgers fans feel any better about that than if he had mechanical issues?

These are legitimate questions that have Dodgers Nation divided on Sasaki's future. At 24 years old, there's no doubt Sasaki has a ton of road ahead of him to develop, and he has a remarkable amount of raw talent. But for a team that's looking to win big in October again, it seems like they're playing with fire with Sasaki. In the postseason, you need pitchers with ice in their veins, not guys who are teetering mentally (even if Sasaki proved himself during the 2025 World Series run in a different role).

If Roberts can manage Sasaki into emotional and mental stability between now and the playoffs, he's an even better skipper than we all know. But right now, this is looking like another precarious situation for LA.

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