LOS ANGELES (AP) — Roki Sasaki had a rough go in his U.S. debut, getting pulled early in front of the home crowd.
His sad face and teary eyes in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dugout was shown on a Japanese TV feed, triggering reaction on social media and around baseball, not all of it flattering.
As Tom Hanks famously said, “There’s no crying in baseball!,” in his role as manager of the Rockford Peaches in the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own.”
“It’s tough watching somebody cry out on the bench two starts into their career,” retired six-time All-Star pitcher CC Sabathia told USA Today Sports.
“I would have much rather see him do that upstairs. There’s no problem showing emotion but I want to see him do that in the locker room. I wouldn't want people on the other team seeing him show that emotion if I was on the Dodgers.”
Now, the rookie is going on the road to one of America’s most passionate sports cities: Philadelphia.
The 23-year-old right-hander known for having a fastball that tops 100 mph is set to make his third start Saturday against the Phillies.
“I want him to continue to stay out there and stay vigilant,” manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday. “He’s not used to having some struggles and this is an opportunity for him to fight back, answer back.”
Sasaki threw a bullpen that Roberts said he heard went “great.”
“I appreciate the fact that he went back to work and he’ll be ready to go,” the manager said.
Sasaki doesn’t have to look far for support. His locker is located next to fellow Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Like Ohtani did last spring, Sasaki revealed during camp that he had recently married.
Roberts wasn’t sure if either of his countrymen had counseled Sasaki since he struggled with his control and got pulled in the second inning against Detroit last weekend. He gave up two runs and three singles, walked four and repeatedly fell behind early in counts.
Having observed Sasaki in the days since, Roberts said, “I think that he’s handling it well.”
Sasaki followed Ohtani and Yamamoto from Japan to Los Angeles, signing a minor league contract in January that included a $6.5 million signing bonus. He had a 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA over four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Pacific League.
Sasaki certainly doesn't have to carry the Dodgers by himself. Besides Yamamoto and Ohtani, who's expected to return to the mound later this season, the rotation is stacked and their bullpen is deep.
“He's got the arm talent,” Sabathia said. “I think he’ll be fine.”
Sasaki's transition to the majors has been bumpy so far. He made his debut last month against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, where he walked five in three innings while throwing just 25 strikes among 56 pitches. Then came his brief outing at home.
Waiting for him next are Philly sports fans known for their rowdy and sometimes unruly behavior. Heck, they've even thrown snowballs at Santa Claus.
“They’re hard on the visitors as well as the home team,” Roberts said. “I think he’s going to handle himself fine.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki throws to the plate during the second inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasakiwipes his face before being taken out of the game during the second inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Roki Sasaki takes a break after throwing in the outfield during batting practice before a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Roki Sasaki throws in the outfield during batting practice before a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to use an 18th century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants, but said they must get a court hearing before they are taken from the United States.
In a bitterly divided decision, the court said the administration must give Venezuelans who it claims are gang members “reasonable time” to go to court.
But the conservative majority said the legal challenges must take place in Texas, instead of a Washington courtroom.
The court’s action appears to bar the administration from immediately resuming the flights that last month carried hundreds of migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador. The flights came soon after President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II to justify the deportations under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force.
The majority said nothing about those flights, which took off without providing the hearing the justices now say is necessary.
In dissent, the three liberal justices said the administration has sought to avoid judicial review in this case and the court “now rewards the government for its behavior.” Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined portions of the dissent.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said it would be harder for people to challenge deportations individually, wherever they are being held, and noted that the administration has also said in another case before the court that it’s unable to return people who have been deported to the El Salvador prison by mistake.
“We, as a Nation and a court of law, should be better than this,” she wrote.
The justices acted on the administration’s emergency appeal after the federal appeals court in Washington left in place an order temporarily prohibiting deportations of the migrants accused of being gang members under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act.
“For all the rhetoric of the dissents,” the court wrote in an unsigned opinion, the high court order confirms “that the detainees subject to removal orders under the AEA are entitled to notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal."
The case has become a flashpoint amid escalating tension between the White House and the federal courts. It's the second time in less than a week that a majority of conservative justices has handed Trump at least a partial victory in an emergency appeal after lower courts had blocked parts of his agenda.
Several other cases are pending, including over Trump's plan to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of parents who are in the country illegally.
Trump praised the court for its action Monday.
"The Supreme Court has upheld the Rule of Law in our Nation by allowing a President, whoever that may be, to be able to secure our Borders, and protect our families and our Country, itself. A GREAT DAY FOR JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.
The original order blocking the deportations to El Salvador was issued by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, the chief judge at the federal courthouse in Washington.
Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of five Venezuelan noncitizens who were being held in Texas, hours after the proclamation was made public and as immigration authorities were shepherding hundreds of migrants to waiting airplanes.
ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said the “critical point" of the high court’s ruling was that people must be allowed due process to challenge their removal. "That is an important victory,” he said.
Boasberg imposed a temporary halt on deportations and also ordered planeloads of Venezuelan immigrants to return to the U.S. That did not happen. The judge held a hearing last week over whether the government defied his order to turn the planes around. The administration has invoked a “ state secrets privilege ” and refused to give Boasberg any additional information about the deportations.
Trump and his allies have called for impeaching Boasberg. In a rare statement, Chief Justice John Roberts said “impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.”
Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.
Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States peer through windows of an Eastern Airlines plane upon arriving at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
