The current predicament of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen could be described thusly: In a group overflowing with seasoned players, some possessing lucrative contracts and others having proven their mettle through numerous playoff campaigns, it was a 23-year-old rookie, making only his third appearance out of the bullpen, who exhibited the most composure during the wild-card series.
That would be Roki Sasaki, who delivered a flawless ninth inning, appearing utterly dominant on Wednesday as the Dodgers triumphed over the Cincinnati Reds. Exhibiting a fastball consistently reaching triple-digit speeds, Sasaki recorded two strikeouts and concluded the series, approximately one week following his return from the injured list.
On the whole, the Dodgers’ bullpen struggled considerably this past week. They nonetheless emerged victorious, defeating the Reds 8-4 on Wednesday to stand as the sole team to sweep this initial playoff round, but the eighth inning in both contests highlighted the severity of the challenges they currently face.
In Game 1, starting pitcher Blake Snell performed admirably, departing the game after seven innings of work. By the time Alex Vesia, perhaps the Dodgers’ most dependable relief pitcher throughout the season, entered the game, L.A. held a commanding 10-2 advantage. Subsequently, Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, and Jack Dreyer struggled to locate the strike zone, surrendering two hits, four walks, and three runs before finally managing to escape the inning.
Collectively, the trio unleashed 59 pitches, marking the highest total for a single MLB postseason inning since pitch counts began being tracked.
In Game 2, Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a strong performance, leaving the game after 6 2/3 innings with the Dodgers ahead 7-2. This time around, Emmet Sheehan and Vesia jointly surrendered two hits, three walks, and two runs during the eighth inning.
Just how problematic was it? Sheehan had gained an 0-2 advantage against Reds pinch-hitter Will Benson, only to then lose control of his pitches and nearly hit the batter. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, having witnessed enough, removed Sheehan from the game midway through the at-bat, replacing him with Vesia, who received credit for the strikeout after throwing a single pitch.
Expectations for the Dodgers’ bullpen were modest heading into this postseason, and they fulfilled those low expectations. They managed to prevail due to facing a Reds offense that held the second-lowest ranking among all playoff teams in wOBA. However, they now confront the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Should the bullpen continue to perform in a similar vein, the Dodgers’ starting pitchers will need to exit games with leads significantly larger than five or six runs.
Ultimately, only two relief pitchers saw action who can conclude the wild-card round with a degree of assurance. One is Blake Treinen, who experienced a difficult September — at one juncture enduring the loss in five consecutive Dodgers defeats, an unprecedented MLB occurrence — but managed to pitch a scoreless ninth inning in Game 1, and subsequently completed the seventh inning for Yamamoto without incident in Game 2.
The other is Sasaki, who has undergone a remarkable journey to potentially become a relief ace for the Dodgers.
The Winding Path of Roki Sasaki to the Postseason
You might recall Sasaki’s signing with the Dodgers a number of months prior, which was regarded as an inequitable advantage at the time, sparking discussions regarding a salary cap primarily to constrain the reigning champions.
Leading up to the season, Sasaki was considered among the most highly touted pitching prospects in recent baseball memory, exhibiting exceptional velocity and quite possibly the premier splitter on a global scale. He joined a Dodgers rotation already featuring two other Japanese stars in Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, and expectations were set that he would emerge as the next dominant force from the Dodgers’ pitching development system.
That didn’t unfold precisely as anticipated. Sasaki indeed garnered considerable attention, yet it was often overlooked during the previous offseason that his velocity had decreased in 2024. Despite the Dodgers’ endeavors, this trend persisted into 2025, leading to a starting pitcher who was largely ineffective. Sasaki was placed on the IL due to a shoulder impingement in May, following a 4.72 ERA and 6.19 FIP across eight starts.
Hitters encountered little difficulty handling Sasaki’s fastball when it was registering in the mid-90s, and possessing only two additional offerings — his exceptional splitter and an adequate slider — did not aid matters, nor did his difficulty in consistently locating the strike zone.
Sasaki remained on the IL for a period of four-and-a-half months. Upon his return, the Dodgers found limited utility for him as a starter. Ohtani, Yamamoto, Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Sheehan were performing admirably as a six-man rotation, to such an extent that the latter two were projected to be deployed solely as relief pitchers during the postseason (if at all, in Kershaw’s situation).
Consequently, Sasaki transitioned to the bullpen, and it was apparent from his initial appearance that he and the Dodgers had identified a solution during his time away.
Roki Sasaki, as a Reliever, Presents a Contrasting Figure for the Dodgers
In a pair of relief appearances during the preceding week, Sasaki pitched two scoreless innings and displayed such proficiency that his inclusion on the wild-card roster was virtually assured.
The fastball that hitters had previously been hitting with ease? They swung and missed at it three times out of six attempts, while it was consistently clocked around 99 mph. The splitter that was intended to be a weapon from the start? It generated four swings and misses out of six attempts. The less reliable slider? No longer utilized.
The sample size was admittedly small, yet the Dodgers’ bullpen appeared sufficiently vulnerable that Sasaki instantly became an appealing option. And that unfolded on Wednesday, when he looked even more impressive in his debut postseason appearance.
That represents the progression from being a mediocre starting pitcher to prompting inquiries regarding your potential role as the closer for the current World Series favorites at BetMGM following a mere three relief appearances.
According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Roberts refrained from explicitly stating that Sasaki is the team’s closer, but he implied that he is entrusted with high-leverage situations:
“I trust him, and he’s going to be pitching in leverage,” Dave Roberts said. “So the more you pitch guys and play guys, you learn more … I don’t think the moment’s going to be too big for Roki.”
Again, we are discussing an individual with a mere three career relief appearances, all occurring within the past eight days, which merely underscores the degree to which the remainder of the Dodgers’ bullpen has struggled. The Dodgers invested a combined $111 million in Treinen, Tanner Scott, and Kirby Yates with the intention of transforming what was already a strength into an impenetrable fortress, only to witness the entire structure collapse in September.
Sasaki will almost certainly experience some challenging innings as the Dodgers continue their postseason journey. That is simply the nature of relief pitching. However, it remains the preferable alternative for the time being.
