Trust. It’s something Dave Roberts had discussed with the Los Angeles Dodgers entering the postseason.
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There has been no more uncertainty with the defending champions than with their bullpen, which has been their glaring hole throughout the 2025 season.
The Dodgers showed their weakness in the Wild Card Series with the bullpen highlighting its struggles in late-game situations. In Wednesday’s 8-4 victory, the Dodgers deployed four relievers out of the bullpen despite Yoshinobu Yamamoto nearly completing the seventh inning.
Emmet Sheehan could not get through the eighth inning as he gave up two earned runs on 27 pitches. Alex Vesia was then tasked with finishing the frame and got out of a bases-loaded jam.
Then, came the Dodgers’ secret weapon to close out the ninth: Roki Sasaki. The right-hander recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.
“I trust him, and he’s going to be pitching in leverage,” Roberts said. “So the more you pitch guys and play guys, you learn more. So, like I said about Yamamoto, I don’t think the moment’s going to be too big for Roki.”
Roberts will have to find a few more relievers he can trust in high-leverage situations, but it’s evident Sasaki is an option to close out games for LA.
“Yeah. I think — you like them all, you trust them all, to various degrees,” Roberts said. “And I think in the postseason, you have to go with ultimately who you feel best in that one spot. And so it’s ever-evolving, and I’m not going to be a ‘It can’t be blind to performance and heartbeat and how guys respond to certain situations.’
“It’s sort of a daily kind of conversation with the pitching coaches, the front office and just kind of — and most importantly, what I see.”
Roberts will continue to go with who he trusts each night, and his instinct paid off in 2024. Only time will tell if that will also be the case this season.
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Photo Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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