The Los Angeles Dodgers, heading into the 2025 MLB season, looked like they would have, by far, the best starting rotation in baseball. But between injuries and poor play, the rotation never amounted to the potential they had before the season.
One of the starters who couldn't live up to the hype was Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki. He had a 4.46 ERA in 10 games, but after his eighth start in early May, Sasaki landed on the injured list and went on to miss over four months. When he returned in September, he wasn't a starter, as he made the transition into a reliever role.
Now, as the Dodgers' closer for the playoffs, Sasaki's new role has been a huge boon for Los Angeles, as their normal relievers have struggled. This new role has been a fun one for Sasaki, as ESPN's Jeff Passan shared what Sasaki found was so enjoyable about his new role for the Dodgers this postseason.
Roki Sasaki reveals what he enjoys about his new reliever role
"The fun part about relieving," Sasaki explained, "is the opportunity to be able to contribute to the game, to the team every day."
Sasaki normally would be making a start every five days or so for the Dodgers this season, and in the postseason, there would be even more time in between appearances.
Now, in this new role, he can step onto the mound multiple days in a row. In Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, he closed out the game in the ninth inning with one strikeout, one double, one groundout, and a pop-up to win the game.
He's taken advantage of his new role, and between his two scoreless outings to close out the regular season for the Dodgers and his two scoreless outings in the playoffs, his new role seems to be a great fit for the young pitcher.
More: Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw gets brutally honest on bullpen demotion in final MLB season
Of the Dodgers' three playoff games this season, Sasaki has finished two of them, including the save against the Phillies in Philadelphia. While his regular season in his rookie year didn't go to plan, his return to the roster as a reliever has been a perfectly timed addition for Los Angeles.
With the bullpen struggling late in the season, the Dodgers needed someone to step up. Instead of some of their veterans, Sasaki, in his rookie year, has made a position switch and, so far, has been an elite closer for a team in dire need of bullpen help.
Now, not only is Sasaki having fun in this new role, but the Dodgers are benefitting massively from this move. In his four relief appearances, Sasaki hasn't allowed a run while giving up just two hits and striking out seven batters.
Sasaki signed with the Dodgers in the offseason as a starter, but now, he is the team's most important reliever. Los Angeles is trying to win back-to-back World Series championships, and Sasaki has become a massive component of such a pursuit as the team's newfound closer.
More Dodgers News:
- Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto achieves feat not done since Bob Gibson's "The Year of the Pitcher"
- Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani on verge of shattering franchise record he set just a year ago
- How many blown saves? The stats that have kept the Dodgers from running away with the NL West
- Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim opens up about playing in the minor leagues