So much for the hype.

Roki Sasaki, the Los Angeles Dodgers' highly-touted Japanese pitching phenom, got absolutely shellacked in his final spring training outing against the Angels. The line: 2 innings, 0 hits, 5 earned runs, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts.

Read that again. Six walks in two innings. He walked more batters than he got outs. He allowed five runs without giving up a single hit. That's almost impressive in how bad it is.

Everyone expected Sasaki to dominate from day one. He's got electric stuff. He was one of the best pitchers in Japan. The Dodgers outbid everyone to bring him over. This was supposed to be the next great international pitching star arriving in MLB.

Instead, he looked completely lost. He couldn't find the strike zone. When he did, hitters were making contact. His command was nonexistent. His confidence looked shot.

Now, let's pump the brakes a little. It's spring training. Spring training stats don't always mean much. Pitchers are working on stuff, not necessarily trying to dominate. And adjusting from Japan to MLB is hard. Different ball, different strike zone, different level of competition.

But still. Six walks in two innings. That's not just working on mechanics. That's struggling with the basics of throwing strikes.

The timing couldn't be worse. This was Sasaki's final tune-up before the regular season starts. His last chance to build confidence, work out the kinks, and show the Dodgers they made the right investment. Instead, he gave up a crooked number and walked half of Orange County.

The question now: Can he shake this off before his first real start? Or are we seeing warning signs that the transition to MLB is going to be rougher than anyone anticipated?

Historically, lots of hyped international prospects have struggled in their first season. The game is faster. The hitters are better. The margin for error is thinner. Some guys adjust quickly. Others take years. Some never figure it out.

Sasaki has all the talent in the world. But talent alone isn't enough. You need command. You need composure. You need the ability to adjust when things aren't working. And right now, based on this outing, those are question marks.

The Dodgers aren't worried — at least not publicly. They're betting on Sasaki's stuff and pedigree to carry him through the adjustment period. And with the rotation they have, they can afford to be patient.

But if this becomes a pattern — if the walks continue, if the command doesn't show up, if the early struggles snowball into a lost season — we're going to have some serious questions about whether Sasaki was ready for this jump.

For now, let's call this what it is: a brutal final impression before the games start to count. Sasaki better figure things out fast, because MLB hitters won't be as forgiving as spring training Angels.