Philly Leader

PHILADELPHIA -- Saturday was a significant evening at Citizens Bank Park, illustrating what could have been for the Philadelphia Phillies. Roki Sasaki, starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, showed why he was in high demand during the offseason, despite Philadelphia’s efforts to sign him.

Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott commented on Sasaki's performance, saying, “It was kind of like a screwball in a sense. It goes up and it comes down really hard. It's a good pitch.” Trea Turner, the team's shortstop, added, “Funky splitter. It's different.”

The Phillies pursued Sasaki after he was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball. Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies' president of baseball operations, stated, "We’re very interested." Manager Rob Thomson confirmed the organization’s interest before the game, acknowledging, "That's more above my pay grade, as they say -- but I do know we were interested, for sure."

Despite their efforts, Philadelphia never had the opportunity to pitch their proposal in person. Dombrowski remarked, "We haven't been invited to the table."

On December 22, the Phillies traded for Jesús Luzardo to strengthen their rotation. Sasaki then signed with the Dodgers, announcing his decision on Instagram.

During the game, Sasaki limited the Phillies to one run over four-plus innings, demonstrating his skill. He predominantly used a mix of a four-seam fastball and his signature splitter, with all of his 0-2 or 1-2 count pitches being splitters, resulting in several missed swings.

Rob Thomson admitted Sasaki's splitter challenged the Phillies, despite their strong early season discipline, saying, “The split was good. He got us out of the zone a few times -- more often than we have up to this point.”

The Phillies anticipate facing Sasaki again. Thomson commented that facing pitchers like Sasaki and his splitter can be advantageous for future encounters, confirming, "It helps."

Turner expressed a willingness to face top pitchers as a measure of skill, saying, "You want to face the best... It's fun going up against the best, and I think [Sasaki] could be one of them down the road."