Roki battled through 5 innings... but man, that 5th!

Ohtani's off today, but hey, Roki's pitching

Hey now, turns out Ohtani started on the bench today and got a surprise day off. Little lonely without him, but it's a long season and rest days matter too. On the bright side, Roki Sasaki was taking the mound today, so I was glued to the TV anyway.

The start gave me a scare

Bottom of the 1st, right away Benintendi takes him down the right field line for a solo shot. I looked at the readout: 99.2 mph off the bat at a 27-degree launch angle... yeah, that one was crushed. Ugh, I thought, but then we answered with 2 runs in the top of the 2nd to take the lead. Yes yes, THIS is what I'm talking about.

Roki's stuff is just nasty, man. Topped out at 101 mph — that's 162 km/h! Even his average sits at 93 mph (150 km/h), and you just don't see that in the majors very often. He battled through 4 innings, racked up 4 strikeouts, and there were spots where he could just blow guys away with the heater. "Hey, maybe he's got it today!" I said to myself over a beer.

And then... the 5th

The "you gotta be kidding me" moment came in the bottom of the 5th. That's where it all came apart. After Antonacci grounded one to right to tie it up, Vargas doubled into right-center — a 102 mph laser, right on the screws. Then a walk, then Meidroth dropped one into right-center, and the topper was Peters' triple into the gap. 103.1 mph off the bat... a line drive that just split the outfielders. Just like that, 2-8 in one inning. I literally groaned out loud.

Roki finished with 7 hits and 3 walks allowed — once his rhythm got rattled, they pounced all at once. His velocity was flat-out unhittable, which is exactly why those 3 walks were so costly. If that battling stuff had kept up, this is a totally different game.

But I'm not gonna dwell on it

Look, a loss is a loss, and yeah it stings. But just getting to watch Roki throw that kind of stuff, I've got nothing but hope for next time. This was a "if only the 5th hadn't happened" game, so the to-do list is crystal clear. Go even the score in your next start, Roki!

The bats only managed 2 runs, but that's just getting handled by their pitcher. Ohtani's back tomorrow, so let's flip the switch and move on quick. No way we go down quietly to the White Sox. On to the next one! Time for a refill!