It’s not hyperbole to say that Roki Sasaki has been a godsend for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025.
With the bullpen in virtual shambles in the final week of the regular season, the highly-prized rookie made his way back in what seemed to be an innocuous relief appearance versus the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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He struck out two batters in his dominant one-inning outing. He followed that up with another two-strikeout, one-inning performance in Seattle versus the Mariners.
Sasaki was featured on the Wild Card roster, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times recently analyzed Sasaki’s transition to the bullpen and his lack of experience in closing. While there was a consideration to reset and sit out the rest of the year, the opportunity to play in the postseason was too much for Sasaki to pass on.
“As he later told the Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun, he was initially ‘very hesitant’ to such a switch. There was a time in middle school he’d been a closer, but during his ascent from high school to the pros, starting was all he’d ever known,” Harris wrote.
“Several things, however, tipped the scales in his mind. He craved a chance to pitch in a postseason environment. He sensed an opportunity to boost a team in desperate need of relief depth. And, having finally found a comfort level with his club after a trying rookie season, he’d regained the confidence he was missing at the start of the campaign.”
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Prior to Monday’s Game 1 contest against the Milwaukee Brewers in which he allowed a run and his velocity was down, Sasaki had a 0.00 ERA in 5.1 innings pitched, allowing only one hit during this stretch. The phenomenal production included hurling three perfect innings in the series-deciding Game 4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
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