The Los Angeles Dodgers are facing the heat at the moment! The reason? Well, despite their loss against the Chicago Cubs, the way they got there was anything but acceptable. Things were shaky from the beginning, with the umpires setting a tight strike zone that forced Roki Sasaki to battle from behind in nearly every count. Although he tried to limit the damage, and Andy Pages made a highlight-reel catch, things quickly spiraled. A 16-0 defeat stands as one of the worst in Dodgers history—and that’s deeply concerning. But that wasn’t all.
Dodgers’ $11 million man, Miguel Rojas, drew fan backlash after attempting to impersonate both Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw on the mound postgame. What may have been intended as light-hearted humor was quickly met with criticism, as fans slammed the Dodgers’ “clown” mentality in the wake of a humiliating loss. So, what really happened?
The Chicago Cubs put on a dominant show, scoring 14 runs on 15 hits over the final three innings en route to a 16-0 victory at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. While the Dodgers were already reeling from the lopsided score, what made matters worse was Rojas’ decision to imitate Sasaki and Kershaw during his emergency appearance on the mound—something fans didn’t find amusing. Fueling the fire was a recent Instagram post by Fox, captioned: “Miguel Rojas decided to impersonate Clayton Kershaw and Roki Sasaki on the mound. 
The Cubs would go on to score five runs in the 9th inning and win 16-0.
Now, coming to the Cubs, Michael Busch of the Chicago Cubs made four hits, posting a home run along with two doubles. Even Carson Kelly made five runs and hit a home run to left field against Dodgers reliever Ben Casparius. Later, he added a 391-foot home run off Miguel Rojas in the ninth inning, bringing in two more runs. Simply put, the Cubs were relentless, and the Dodgers couldn’t stop the bleeding.
Fans were equally frustrated with FOX Sports for spotlighting the Dodgers’ antics despite the crushing defeat. Alongside Rojas, FOX is now facing criticism for appearing biased toward the Dodgers in its coverage. Meanwhile, amid all the noise surrounding the blowout, one positive takeaway was Roki Sasaki’s promising development. So, how did he manage to shine despite the disaster?
Roki Sasaki shows promise despite Dodgers’ humiliating loss
Despite the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 16-0 loss against the Chicago Cubs, pitcher Roki Sasaki showed measurable progress. While both the bullpen and offense collapsed, Sasaki pitched five full innings for the first time since making the jump from Nippon Professional Baseball. Over those five innings, he allowed just one run on four hits, walked two batters, and struck out three. Notably, he threw 50 strikes out of 80 pitches—his most efficient outing to date.
It was a marked improvement from his previous start, when he lasted only three innings in Game 2 of the Tokyo Series on March 19. Though Sasaki surrendered a leadoff home run to Michael Busch in the second inning, he remained composed and held firm, especially compared to Luis Garcia and Ben Casparius, who both struggled against the Cubs’ lineup, before Miguel Rojas stepped in to pitch the eighth and ninth innings.
So yes, it was a rough night for the Dodgers overall—but Sasaki’s growth is a silver lining. Still, the team will need to address the many issues that contributed to the blowout loss. What, in your opinion, was the biggest reason for the Dodgers’ collapse against the Cubs?
The post $11 Million Star’s Showboating in Blowout Loss Backfires as Fans Rip Dodgers’ “Clown” Mentality appeared first on EssentiallySports.
