Key Moments of the Game
Home runs, go-ahead hits, and Japanese-vs-Japanese duels in order
- Roki Sasaki dealt with just 2 hits and 7 strikeouts, shutting down the Phillies lineup at up to 100 mph
- Ohtani showed his pride with a 100.3 mph base hit to right-center in the 4th and a hard 104.1 mph shot in the 9th
- Sosa's 379ft go-ahead homer to left-center in the 8th sealed the 3-4 heartbreaker
Roki, you were SO good today
Man, what a heartbreaker… First off, let's talk Roki Sasaki. He went out there and really gave us a quality start. Faced 20 batters, gave up just 2 hits, 7 strikeouts, and only ONE walk. Topped out at a clean 100 mph and even averaged 93. He was shutting down that Phillies lineup left and right, and I was sitting here yelling all by myself, "Roki, can you just throw a complete-game shutout?!" The one that stung was the 406ft bomb Bohm sent to center in the 2nd — but hey, that's just how it goes, the guy got every bit of it on a perfect swing.
Shohei wasn't gonna stay quiet, even with 3 strikeouts
Now, our guy Shohei. Honestly, the early going was rough… In the 1st, two straight sweepers from Luzardo froze his bat for a swinging K, and in the 2nd — of all times, with the bases loaded — he watched a 98 mph fastball go by for a called strikeout. I had my head in my hands going "oh nooo…"
But see, THIS is where Shohei does his thing. Bottom of the 4th, after two strikeouts, he laced one right back through the right-center gap. A grounder at 100.3 mph — he absolutely squared it up. That quick mental reset is exactly why he's so special. He got fooled by a sweeper again in the 7th for his third K, but he battled to a full count, so no complaints from me.
Then, down by one in the bottom of the 9th, it came back around to Shohei. Duran kept pumping 100+ mph heat, and on the last one Shohei rolled over a knuckle-curve into a right-center grounder… aww, SO close! But the exit velo was 104.1 mph — the follow-through was perfect. If he'd gotten just a touch more launch angle, that's in the seats. Razor thin, man. Next time, next time!
That 8th-inning comeback, though…
This game was a seesaw. We tied it on Cole's RBI in the 2nd, took the lead on Espinal's sac fly in the 4th, and in the 7th Betts drove a liner into right-center to make it 3-1. "Alright, let's reward Roki for that great outing!" — that's exactly what I was thinking when…
Top of the 8th, Harper lined a 101.5 mph shot down the right-field line to bring one in, and then Sosa launched a 379ft bomb to left-center… a perfectly-struck 101.3 mph arch to put them ahead. You gotta be kidding me… they got us right there.
We ended up falling 3-4. So frustrating. But Roki was absolutely dealing, and even with 3 strikeouts Shohei still barreled up 2 balls. This is NOT a game to hang our heads over. We win again tomorrow — let's reset and go!
Japanese Players in This Game
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