Roki Sasaki 2026 — Today's Stats & Game Log

Splitter shines as reverse platoon split holds the key for Sasaki

Sasaki turned in a solid outing against the Rockies, going 6.0 innings with 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 5 strikeouts, and just 1 walk. That works out to a game ERA of 4.50, below his season mark of 5.33, and a clear bounce-back from his previous start against the Padres on 7/3, when he lasted only 3.0 innings and allowed 6 earned runs on 7 hits. His season line still reads rough — a 5.33 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and a 3-5 record across 16 starts — but tonight's peripherals point toward something more encouraging underneath the surface.

Looking at the pitch mix, Sasaki leaned heavily on two pitches: the four-seam fastball (33 pitches, 42%, averaging 98.4 mph) and the splitter (31 pitches, 40%, averaging 89.9 mph), which together accounted for over 80% of his workload. The splitter was clearly his out-pitch tonight — it generated 7 whiffs on one fewer pitch than the fastball's 4, with a strong 71% strike rate to match. The slider, thrown just 11 times, posted an even higher 82% strike rate, functioning more as a count-control pitch than a swing-and-miss weapon, while the forkball remained a rarely used fourth option. What stands out most, though, is the platoon split: right-handed batters are hitting .259 with an .885 OPS off him this season (9 homers in 143 at-bats), while left-handed batters are held to just .237 with a .773 OPS (10 homers in 169 at-bats). That's a reverse platoon pattern for a right-handed pitcher — statistically unusual, and a trend worth monitoring going forward.

Over his last 10 starts, Sasaki peaked on 6/6 against the Angels (7.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 10 strikeouts) before hitting a rough patch from 6/13 onward, including the ugly 3-inning, 6-run outing on 7/3. Tonight's bounce-back, powered by the splitter's whiff rate and a tidy 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, looks like a genuine sign of recovery rather than a one-off. Unico's take: the splitter's quality is legitimate, so how he sequences pitches against right-handed hitters will likely determine how fast that 5.33 ERA comes down.