TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Roki Sasaki's highly anticipated major league debut turned out to be a wild one, but he showed some toughness by escaping a bases-loaded jam with back-to-back strikeouts in the third inning.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told a press conference after Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Chicago Cubs that he was impressed to see Sasaki avoid blowing a two-run lead in the last frame of his three-inning start at Tokyo Dome.

"I think there were some nerves, understandably so," Roberts said. "But I thought (with) the command, I think the emotions, the adrenaline was hard to rein it in, but in that third inning, he made some big pitches for us."

Sasaki was in big trouble in the third.

After allowing the first hit, a one-out infield single by Jon Berti, the 23-year-old hard-throwing right-hander walked three straight hitters.

Dodgers fans in the stands were watching Sasaki's every pitch with worry as he struggled to control his fastball and splitter.

He then rose to the occasion and struck out cleanup hitter Michael Busch and infielder Matt Shaw, who made his MLB debut a day before Sasaki.

"Just the way he responded from that situation when he didn't have his best command tonight," Roberts said. "I just think it speaks to how competitive he is. That was a pivotal part of the game. He's just such a great competitor."

"We'll stretch him out...He could make pitches when he needed to."

A total of five Japanese-born major leaguers played in the two-game season-opening Tokyo Series.

Shohei Ohtani hit his first home run of the season in Game 2, after recording two hits, including a double, in Game 1.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto became the winning pitcher of the opener by throwing five innings of one-run ball.

For the Cubs, Shota Imanaga threw four scoreless innings in the same game, but Seiya Suzuki had a series to forget.

The 30-year-old designated hitter, playing in his fourth season in the majors, went hitless in eight at-bats, striking out four times.

"I couldn't do anything," Suzuki said, "I'll try to play better after I get back to the United States."