Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made all the right moves Friday night, as his bullpen held the Philadelphia Phillies scoreless in relief during a 5-3 comeback victory in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
Shohei Ohtani gave the Dodgers six solid innings, allowing three runs before handing the ball to the bullpen. Teoscar Hernández provided the offensive spark, blasting a three-run homer to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. It was Hernández’s third home run and ninth RBI in just three postseason games, continuing his torrid October pace.
Much of the postgame attention, however, centered on Roberts’ bullpen management. With regular late-inning options Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott struggling at the end of the regular season, Roberts has taken an unconventional approach — turning to his starting pitchers in relief.
Of the three relievers who pitched Friday, two — Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki — spent most of the year as starters. The lone exception was left-hander Alex Vesia, who came on to record one crucial out in the eighth inning. Glasnow worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, before yielding to Vesia and then Sasaki.
The 23-year-old Japanese phenom handled the ninth with poise, surrendering one hit and striking out one to record the first save of his MLB career. His performance has sparked a new question: could Sasaki become the Dodgers’ new closer for the rest of the postseason?
With Roberts continuing to deploy starters like Glasnow, Sasaki, Clayton Kershaw and Emmet Sheehan in relief roles, Los Angeles risks thinning its rotation depth. That leaves only Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Ohtani as true starters if the series stretches deep — a gamble Roberts appears willing to make in pursuit of another World Series run.