After the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the NLDS, 23-year-old phenom Roki Sasaki made history, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to earn the first two saves of his career in the postseason.
This is something that next to nobody would have predicted when Sasaki first became a Dodger this offseason, but the path that the young right-hander has taken to get here is unconventional, to say the least.
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Sasaki’s 2.10 ERA across four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball and his devastating splitter were the main selling points last offseason, along with his age and a fastball that could hit 100 mph. His impressive World Baseball Classic showing helped contribute to 20 teams expressing interest in Sasaski before he ultimately chose the Dodgers.
After eight abysmal starts at the MLB level, Sasaki owned a 4.72 ERA and a fastball velocity that averaged 96.1 mph. With a heater lower than expected and apparent command issues, Sasaki then went to the injured list for a little over four months due to a shoulder impingement.
Sasaki was healthy enough to start a rehab assignment in August, but batters were hitting .315 off of him through his first four starts. Ahead of his second-to-last start and his final rehab assignment start, Sasaki was able to raise his fastball velocity over 4 mph and started to look more like the highly-touted prospect from Japan.
With a combination of Sasaki’s increased speed, poor bullpen performances, and the quality play from the starting rotation, this spelled the perfect scenario for Sasaki to start his transition to the bullpen.
His final two outings in Triple-A were in relief, featuring two hitless innings, and the 23-year-old had just another two bullpen appearances in the regular season before the postseason began. Sasaki closed out the second game of the Wild Card series (though it wasn’t a save situation), but had his first save opportunity at the end of Game 1 of the NLDS.
Sasaki has proven that he can not only show up in these enormous moments for LA, but play the best baseball of the season when it matters most. His saves record is certainly impressive, but the ultimate focus of the team moving forward are the nine more wins needed for the ninth World Series title in franchise history.
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Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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One Response
Dave Robert’s should. Keep Blake Treinen benched. How many blown saves. He’s been great in the past but for now he’s not.