Early Wednesday morning, the common season ended — for an additional week anyway. The Dodgers and Cubs performed the second and closing recreation of the Tokyo Sequence, casting us again into the pit of spring coaching baseball. Under, some notes on the sport, a 6-3 Los Angeles win.
First Inning
It’s snowing in Tokyo. Roki Sasaki Day has lastly come.
I wakened simply after 4:00 a.m. ET and as soon as once more determined to only keep up. I’ve already written a thousand phrases about Max Scherzer. I’m not essentially crisp.
On the primary pitch of the sport, Justin Steele begins Shohei Ohtani off with a fastball over the plate. After all he does. He’s Justin Steele. Ohtani appears to be accustomed to the scouting report – uh, fastballs – and he launches the ball to the other subject. For a second you suppose he’ll do it. The gang thinks he’ll do it. Ohtani seems to be up on the ball hopefully, then grimaces. It lands simply in need of the warning observe.
Within the backside of the inning, Sasaki throws his first MLB pitch. It’s a fastball, 100 mph. It’s a ball, low to Ian Happ. Statcast really says it hit the underside of the zone. Irrespective of. Happ flies out to left. Roki Sasaki has an MLB ERA of 0.00.
The gang perks up for Seiya Suzuki, and Sasaki greets him with 101 mph for a ball earlier than falling behind 2-0. After Suzuki fouls off one other heater for strike one, Sasaki throws his first non-fastball, a slider that catches the highest of the zone, to even the depend 2-2. He goes again to fastballs and strikes Suzuki out swinging.
Sasaki breaks out his splitter for the primary time within the majors to start his matchup with Kyle Tucker. It by no means seems to be like a strike and Tucker doesn’t transfer. The following pitch is a center-cut four-seamer that Tucker crushes to middle, however he will get below it and it doesn’t have the gap.
Second Inning
After Steele walks Will Smith, Max Muncy golf equipment a excessive slider into the correct subject nook for a double, transferring Smith to 3rd. Then issues get bizarre.
Steele begins Enrique Hernández off with a slider, and catcher Carson Kelly simply fully chunks it, a cardinal sin for somebody together with his specific job title. It hits the webbing of his glove and retains on rolling. Smith scores and Muncy strikes as much as third, then scores on a sac fly one pitch later. The Dodgers are up, 2-0. This appears like yesterday. The Cubs are sloppy. The Dodgers are the Dodgers.
Throughout business breaks, I’m muting the TV and listening to We Have Amnesia Typically, Yo La Tengo’s drony, improvised COVID album. They used the hyper-technical manufacturing strategy of organising a single microphone in the course of their apply area and urgent document.
Matt Shaw doesn’t seem like he’s getting right into a batting stance a lot as he seems to be like he’s making an attempt to vanish fully.
Sasaki struggles together with his command, lacking too far inside together with his splitter and yanking his fastball or failing to get on prime of it. The stuff seems to be nice, however he has just one whiff up to now. With runners on first and second and one out, Pete Crow-Armstrong strains a ball proper at shortstop Miguel Rojas, who doubles off Michael Busch. Each the highest and the underside of the second inning finish with double performs.
Third Inning
Steele circles the mound and takes a deep breath. The digicam cuts to Sasaki within the dugout. He’s not sitting down or resting. He’s not carrying a jacket on his pitching arm. He’s received his glove on, left leg on the highest step, proper leg on the second step, seemingly paused within the act of racing again onto the mound.
Tommy Edman crushes a excessive 3-2 fastball into the left subject stands. It’s a no-doubter. Dodgers lead, 3-0. Steele strikes out Teoscar Hernández to finish the facet and removes his hat as he walks off the sphere. Its edge has left a round indentation in his lengthy, moist hair.
Jon Berti reaches on a swinging bunt to 3rd. Muncy seems to be mad at himself, however he by no means had an opportunity. Berti politely waits three pitches earlier than stealing second.
Sasaki’s splitter averages simply 516 rpm. In 2024, the one pitches that averaged much less spin belonged to place gamers and a knuckleballer.
Sasaki’s velocity has fallen from 99 to 97. He points a stroll, then one other. The bases are loaded for Tucker, and Mark Prior strolls out to the mound to speak. Like all pitching coaches, Prior covers his mouth when he speaks. In contrast to different pitching coaches, he doesn’t simply stick his hand over his face. He crosses his left arm over his proper, resting the bottom of his left hand on his chin as if in thought. Each different pitching coach seems to be like they’re calling a jet sweep proper; Prior seems to be like he’s imparting hard-won knowledge.
Sasaki falls behind Tucker, and the followers elevate their voices to encourage him. Prior will get on the bullpen telephone. Sasaki misses, strolling in a run. It’s 3-1, Dodgers. He strikes out the following two batters.
Fourth Inning
Will Smith doubles down the left subject line. Steele’s hat is way decrease on the left facet than the correct facet. On the correct, it barely even reaches the highest of his ear.
Enrique Hernández clobbers a low fastball for a two-run homer. As he returns to the dugout, Teoscar Hernández tosses a celebratory bathe of sunflower seeds in his path. Somebody on the grounds crew will both must vacuum the seeds up or choose them up by hand. The Dodgers lead, 5-1. Think about touring all the way in which to Tokyo simply to lose two video games.
Craig Counsell has a fairly lengthy dialog, by bullpen telephone requirements.
My spouse’s alarm goes off within the different room, and I climb again into mattress for a couple of minutes. She tells me that I have to get extra daylight for my circadian rhythms. Daybreak is breaking. I slink again into the sunless second bed room.
Huge Luis García is pitching for the Dodgers. Sasaki’s night time is finished. He went three innings, strolling 5 and permitting one run.
García points a two-out stroll to Kelly, and Berti follows that up with a single. My spouse sneezes within the different room. “Bless you!” I shout.
“What?”
“Bless you!”
“Thanks.”
Happ slices an RBI single into left subject. It’s 5-2, and for at the very least the third time within the final two video games, Suzuki involves the plate representing the tying run. García fools him with a sweeper, and Suzuki takes a clumsy, all-arm swing to finish the inning.
Fifth Inning
Nate Pearson comes on to pitch for the Cubs. Steele’s night time is finished too. He allowed 5 earned runs in 4 innings. We’re going to see a whole lot of relievers from right here on out.
Pearson’s cleats are blue and white, however the sample makes it seem like he has his ankles taped over his footwear, quite than below them. I genuinely suppose it’s athletic tape for his first few pitches.
Ohtani completely blasts a ball into proper middle. Crow-Armstrong and Tucker converge on the proper subject wall. PCA leaps, however one thing unusual occurs to the ball. Ohtani rounds the bases, however it’s unclear whether or not the ball really went over the fence. I notice I by no means turned the sound on the TV again up. I’ve been watching all this go all the way down to the sound of a bizarre droning organ. It seems {that a} fan reached out over the wall to catch the ball. They failed, and it dropped again onto the sphere. The evaluation crew decides there’s not sufficient proof to overturn the decision, however it’s extraordinarily shut, possibly unimaginable to inform whether or not the ball would have caught the very prime of the wall. It’s Ohtani’s first house run of the season, and the Dodgers’ lead is now 6-2.
Within the backside of the inning, Jack Dreyer makes his main league debut for the Dodgers. Tucker greets him by ripping a first-pitch fastball into proper middle. Andy Pages tracks it down for a loud out.
Shaw is again within the field. He leans again and turns away from the pitcher, rotating his entrance leg inward. He seems to be like he’s attempting to fold himself in half length-wise. He bounces a comebacker off Dreyer for his first massive league hit.
Dansby Swanson rips a double down the road, scoring Shaw. Rojas’ relay throw sails over Smith, however Dreyer is in place to again up and he fires to 3rd, almost catching the advancing Swanson. It’s a 6-3 recreation.
Sixth Inning
Caleb Thielbar is on, making his first look for the Cubs. He induces a tough chopper to the left facet of the infield. Shaw pounces on it, spins and fires to first. He’s all grown up. Thielbar units the Dodgers down so as.
Landon Knack is in for the Dodgers. There’s a playing advert behind the house plate. There’s nowhere on earth the place you’ll be able to escape it.
My spouse leaves the bed room and sits subsequent to me. I learn her a couple of sentences. “Are they going to publish this?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say, shedding confidence someplace between the Y and the H.
Berti singles once more. My spouse begins giving me an enormous, loud hug, attempting to distract me from the sport. “My spouse is available in and annoys me,” she dictates. She places some toast within the toaster over, then returns to the bed room, stopping briefly within the doorway of the small room to do a foolish dance.
A fan in a Dodgers hoodie makes an unimaginable play on a popup down the third bottom line. It takes Muncy to the wall and he reaches over the netting. The ball glances off his glove and the fan’s glove is someway precisely in the correct spot, calmly ready upturned for the ricochet.
Seventh Inning
Julian Merryweather is pitching for the Cubs. He walks Michael Conforto, then will get a double-play ball from Rojas. Pages ropes a double into left, bringing Ohtani to the plate with a base open. When Counsell opts for the intentional stroll, it’s the loudest the Tokyo Dome will get all sequence.
Edman rips a ball towards left subject, however Shaw makes an unimaginable diving play, pops up, and nails him at first. After permitting batted balls of 103, 101.2, and 96.6 mph, Merryweather escapes unscathed.
Knack retires the Cubs so as. Shaw strikes out swinging. The toast smells superb.
Eighth Inning
Porter Hodge comes on to pitch for the Cubs. His beard is awfully properly groomed. He seems to be the way in which Steele must look if he have been to hitch the Yankees.
Kirby Yates pitches the eighth for the Dodgers. His beard can also be very tidy.
The stadium does the wave.
Kelly singles, bringing Berti to the plate with two outs. Berti is 3-for-3 with three singles. His helmet already has a wholesome coating of pine tar. Yates takes an extended, deep breath earlier than the 2-2 pitch. He misses excessive. Berti catches simply sufficient of the 3-2 pitch that it pops out of Smith’s glove for a foul ball quite than strike three. Irrespective of; he pops out to finish the inning.
Ninth Inning
The gang explodes when Ryan Pressly walks Rojas with one out. Rojas is the eighth batter, so placing him on signifies that, barring a double play, Ohtani will come to the plate yet another time. The followers cheer louder when Pressly walks Pages too.
Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy hurries out to speak to Pressly.
It’s unnerving how nonetheless Ohtani’s batting stance is. Most gamers have to preserve some kind of movement going simply to remain springy and athletic. Ohtani is sort of a statue. Even within the on-deck circle, he simply has his arms prolonged, elbow up, solely enjoyable into his stance as soon as the pitcher has already began their supply.
Pressly walks Ohtani too. He has walked the bases loaded for the Dodgers’ true energy hitter: Edman. Pressly wiggles out of it, inducing a bouncer to second for a double play.
Alex Vesia is available in for the underside of the ninth to shut issues out. With one out, the gang will get a closing probability to cheer for Suzuki. They ooh when he takes a 2-2 pitch proper on the prime of the zone, however it’s referred to as a ball. He fouls off two 3-2 pitches, however swings via the third.
Tucker extends the sport with a line drive double off the left subject wall. It’s a powerful show of energy, and it’s his first hit as a Cub. Fittingly, the right-handed Justin Turner pinch-hits for Busch in opposition to the lefty Vesia. With the tip close to, the published cuts to photographs of all the sport’s Japanese stars wanting on from the dugout. Turner works a stroll, bringing the tying run to the plate within the type of Shaw.
Prior strolls slowly out to the mound for an extended discuss. He could be icing the rookie. Shaw holds his bat as much as his face, analyzing the Marucci label.
Vesia dots a breaking ball on the within nook for strike one. Shaw reaches out and rolls over the second pitch, a fastball, sending a chopper into the outlet at quick. Rojas ranges to his left, units and fires. Shaw runs via the bag. He’s out, however it’s shut sufficient that he’s certain that he made it, spreading his arms vast to verify the umpire is aware of it too. It’s shut sufficient that the Cubs take into account difficult, solely to get the phrase that no, the sport, the sequence, is over.