The Los Angeles Dodgers had abysmal production from their relievers going into the postseason, but a long lost starting pitcher emerged as the savior of the bullpen.
Rookie phenom Roki Sasaki had eight starts in a Dodgers uniform that were far from what was promised after four illustrious seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. Sasaki took close to five months off due to a shoulder impingement, but upon an uptick in his velocity and command in between rehab starts in Triple-A, he started to get featured out of the bullpen.
All it took was two hitless relief innings in the minors and another two innings in the majors, and the 23-year-old was eyeing a postseason role as the potential closer.
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Through four October appearances, Sasaki went 5.1 scoreless innings, walking no batters, striking out five, and allowing just one hit. On Monday night, Sasaki came in to close out Game 1 of the NLCS, but allowed a pair of walks, an earned run, and a 108.9 mph double from Brewers pinch hitter Jake Bauers.
Sasaki was replaced by Blake Treinen — who got the final out and earned the save — but the rookie still appears to be the closer for the remainder of the postseason.
Beyond October, however, Sasaki revealed to Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun that he was “very hesitant” to attempt a switch, but the Dodgers still see him as a starter, with the potential to one day be the ace of the rotation.
“They will let me try to start again next season,” Sasaki said, so moving to the bullpen “was a relatively easy decision to make.”
With the opportunity to help out his team at a crucial time, Sasaki has not only stepped up to the challenge, but has thrived. Monday’s hiccup will hopefully be put in the rearview mirror as the Dodgers still have six more wins on their journey to becoming baseball’s first back-to-back champions in a quarter century.
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Photo Credit: Journal Sentinel
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2 Responses
Of course he’s still a starting pitcher, and this is actually good for him going forward. His confidence will be sky high going into next season. This is why we brought him in, to be an ace. Just imagine what an off season would do for him getting stronger physically. His future is bright.
It’ll be cool to see Sasaki as a starter again! And hopefully this brief move to the bullpen helps him regain confidence once he returns to the starting rotation.