As the Los Angeles Dodgers headed into the playoffs, their relievers were dropping like a Clayton Kershaw curveball. But all it took to straighten out the postseason bullpen was a Roki Sasaki fastball.
In September, L.A. was blowing late leads and losing close games at a rate that compelled the local media to pepper Dodgers manager Dave Roberts with question after needling question about Tanner Scott and the failing arms in the bullpen.
But the reigning major league champions seemed to have a plan in the works. It was not to rush Sasaki back from rehab but to use him slowly and strategically as the team gets set to face the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.
The 23-year-old Japanese rookie isn’t losing sight of the big picture, either. He is focused on being part of a winning team as he returns from a right shoulder impingement that put him on the shelf for more than three months.
“In America, they put the most importance on the postseason and becoming the world champion. And I’ve gotten a real sense of that. The season is also important, and I wasn’t able to contribute much at all during the season, so I wanted to make up for that in the portion of the season that’s left and do as much as I can to contribute.
“So as far as that goes, it hasn’t been a lot, but I’m just glad to be able to contribute to the team.”
Sasaki worked the eighth, ninth, and 10th innings to help knock out the Phillies 2–1 in 11 frames in Game 4 of the NL Division Series.
Sasaki spent four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, all as a starter with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League. He was a highly touted fireballer and a can’t-miss future big leaguer when he entered the NPB draft out of high school.
On Thursday came the sudden transition from starter to bullpen stopper. With the score tied and the stakes about as high as it gets, he tossed three perfect innings against the hard-hitting Philadelphia Phillies.
Sasaki, who was 1-1 with a 4.46 ERA with a 1.431 WHIP and 18 runs allowed on 30 hits over 36.1 innings in the regular season, has been lights out in the playoffs. The right-hander has found his Japan form in two playoff series.
Sasaki has posted zeros over 5.1 frames, allowing only one hit while collecting five strikeouts. His WHIP is down to .188, and his strikeout rate has jumped from 17.4 percent to 29.4.
He is now the presumed closer after the Dodgers removed an injured Scott from the NLDS roster and added lefty Justin Wrobleski last week.
“The level of nervousness is going down with every outing I get,” Sasaki said about his postseason appearances. “It’s good nerves that I’m able to pitch with. So it’s not that I’m in a zone or anything, it’s more like I can have trust in what I’m doing with my mechanics right now and that keeps me calm and is the reason why I can perform.”
The biggest thing, though, is that Sasaki looks to have gotten over the shoulder issues that slowed him in the first half of the season.
When asked whether he was enjoying the postseason, Sasaki said: “I’m appreciative of the fact that I’m healthy and able to perform. And as part of that, I’m feeling very happy that I’m increasingly starting to be able to pitch like myself again.”
Sasaki is thrilled about the success he is seeing now after the hard road back, but he is also thinking about the future.
“I was personally hoping for something I could carry into next season, and instead of it ending on something negative, build up some experience during this postseason,” Sasaki said. “Right now, it’s still in small amounts and it’s positive, and I’m doing work for the team and I’m glad about that.”
The Dodgers dropped all six games to the Brewers during the regular season, but the teams were in different places then. Los Angeles was sputtering, Milwaukee was rolling, and Sasaki was rehabbing.
The Dodgers knocked out the Phils in four games, while the Brewers and Chicago Cubs went the full five to decide their series. Milwaukee has home-field advantage, but the Dodgers seem to have a confident bullpen, thanks to a poised young flamethrower in a big role.
