Man, what a gut punch for Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers last night against the Braves. Sasaki got pulled early in the fourth inning, not for control issues, but with an apparent finger injury that the team later confirmed was a straight-up blister on his middle finger of his right hand. And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for his line, it absolutely did.
Sasaki’s Struggle Before the Blister
Sasaki wasn’t exactly dealing his best stuff before the blister forced him out. He was in the fourth, already giving up a run, with two runners on second and third, and just one out when pitching coach Mark Prior, translator Will Ireton, and the Dodgers trainer came out to check him. It was clear something was up when they made the call for him to head to the dugout. You never want to see a guy leave the mound like that, especially when he’s already grinding.
The Blister’s Ugly Aftermath
And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for Sasaki’s stat line, it did. Edgardo Henriquez came in to relieve him, and guess what? Teoscar Hernandez totally misplayed a fly ball in left field. That blunder turned into a double, and boom, two more runs were charged to Sasaki, bringing his total allowed for the night up to four. Henriquez did manage to get two outs after that, limiting the damage, but the scoreboard already had Sasaki on the hook for four.
It’s a tough break, literally, for Sasaki and the Dodgers. A blister can mess with a pitcher’s grip and effectiveness big time. You just hope it’s not something that lingers and he can get back on the mound without it being an issue for their rotation.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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