Dodgers Roki Sasaki back to 100 mph thanks to curated strength program (and Justin Bieber)

PHOENIX — When Dodgers strength coach Travis Smith first began working with Roki Sasaki at the start of last season, he quickly learned the phenom pitcher had a specific preference in the gym.“He doesn’t like loud music,” Smith recalled with a laugh in a recent interview with The California Post.So, in an effort to make the young Japanese hurler feel comfortable in his foreign surroundings, Smith came up with a new playlist for each of their training sessions together.“I put on some Bounty and Mr.Children,” Smith said, referencing Japanese pop groups that Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto had told him about.“And then, Justin Bieber,” Smith added with a chuckle.

“He wanted a little Justin Bieber.”Over the last year and a half, that has been the soundtrack to Sasaki’s striking transformation.A little J-Pop.A little Biebs.

And a new training regimen that — in the midst of Sasaki’s best stretch as an MLB starter — is helping the 24-year-old finally flourish again.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!California Post App: Download here!Home delivery: Sign up here!Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!“He’s grown up a lot,” manager Dave Roberts said last week, after Sasaki struck out seven batters against the Phillies, completed a breakout month of May with a 3.18 ERA and most importantly rediscovered 100 mph life on his fastball for the first time all season. “Even just by the eye,” Roberts added, “he’s much more physical.”That wasn’t the case when Sasaki signed with the Dodgers, arriving as an otherworldly arm talent in need of a better physical foundation. Ever since he was a teenager, the right-hander had been gifted with a triple-digit heater.But last year, the holes in his physique became clear as his velocity plummeted while battling an early-seaso...