Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki spoke at a team press conference on June 20, 2026, after his start against the Baltimore Orioles, expressing overall satisfaction with his outing despite allowing two home runs.
Sasaki said during the press conference that he was able to execute his game plan and felt he threw many good pitches. "Overall, I was able to do things the way I wanted to," he stated, adding that the result of being tied did not diminish his positive assessment of the outing.
Addressing the two consecutive home runs he allowed, Sasaki analyzed each pitch separately. He noted that the first home run resulted from a cutter that did not move as intended, causing the pitch to behave abnormally. On the second home run, Sasaki acknowledged that the pitch itself was well-executed, but added, "When I face the result honestly, I think the pitch selection was a mistake." He mentioned that he plans to review with his battery partner what he should have done differently on that pitch selection.
Sasaki explained that improving his breaking ball was a deliberate focus heading into this start. In his previous outing, he had been hit on fastballs, which prompted him to work on his breaking pitches. "I practiced my breaking balls quite a bit, and I feel I was able to make the right corrections in this game," he said. He specifically worked on his slider to ensure it crossed over the strike zone and did not lose too much velocity.
Sasaki indicated he will sit down with his battery partner to examine the second home run pitch selection in detail, with the goal of making better decisions in future starts.