Who is Ben Casparius? The Dodgers Rookie Pitcher That Has Been Dominant This Postseason
The Los Angeles Dodgers used 13 pitchers, including rookie Ben Casparius, to reach 33 consecutive shutout innings that began in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres and carried into Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.
Casparius, an injury replacement on the postseason roster, pitched the ninth inning of Game 1 on Sunday to tie the record. At the time, he had no idea he was pitching the team into baseball history.
While the streak ended in the first inning of Monday’s Game 2, the right-hander pitched two more shutout innings for the Dodgers on Wednesday. He has now struck out four batters across three postseason innings.
Both appearances have preserved shutouts.
To understand how Casparius got to this point, one has to go back to his collegiate years. It is entirely possible that he wouldn’t be in this position if he didn’t transfer from North Carolina to the University of Connecticut after the 2019 season.
“He’s a winner. He knows how to win,” UConn head coach Jim Penders told Dodgers Nation in a phone interview this week. “He was a heckuva two-way player in high school and in college.”
Casparius transferred home to Connecticut ahead of the 2020 season but wasn’t granted a waiver to compete immediately. He took a redshirt and decided during the spring that he wanted to focus on pitching.
“We thought he’d be closer to the big leagues as a pitcher but ultimately, I’ve learned to let the young man make that decision,” Penders said. “When guys come, and there aren’t many anymore, we have never said you have to stop doing x in order to do y. It was Ben’s decision to put down the bat and just focus on pitching. It’s paying dividends right now.”
Casparius’ growth as a pitcher took off from there and it has translated to the major league game. It was on display during the final two innings against the Mets in Game 3 when he faced the heart of the order.
His two innings of work resulted in three strikeouts, two fly outs, and a ground out.
The rookie has learned to make the most of his opportunities. If he didn’t put down the bat, he might not have been drafted in the fifth round by the Dodgers. If Michael Grove didn’t get hurt, he wouldn’t be on the postseason roster.
But here he is.
“He’s very good at goal-setting and goal-reaching obviously, to make it to the major leagues as quickly as he did.” Penders said. “I’m hopeful that he’s gonna stay there a long time. He’s got the stuff and the confidence to do so.
“What a baptism, the last month of the season to find himself in the National League Championship Series against a team that he probably watched an awful lot of growing up as close to New York City as he was.”
Penders is anxious for Casparius to come back and visit Storrs, but he hopes it isn’t until after he wins a World Series.
Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
