As the Dodgers enter the final week of the regular season, one storyline has suddenly shifted from developmental experiment to potential postseason factor. Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old sensation from Japan, has taken on a new role at Triple-A Oklahoma City and it may carry implications far beyond September.
On Wednesday, Sasaki made his first relief appearance stateside, a brief but electric outing. He struck out two of the four hitters he faced, leaned heavily on a fastball that averaged nearly 99 mph, and touched triple digits at 100.1. Just as important, he showed poise in a new role, working around a walk and attacking hitters with confidence. The Dodgers plan to give him one more bullpen outing on Sunday, the finale of the Triple-A regular season.
This move comes at a time when the Dodgers are searching for answers late in games. Veterans Blake Treinen and Kirby Yates have labored through recent outings, and the bullpen as a whole has looked taxed in September. For a team holding a slim three-game lead over the Padres in the National League West, fresh arms aren’t a luxury they’re a necessity.
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged both the boldness of Sasaki’s decision to transition and the strong first impression. “The first part of it was him giving himself the opportunity to agree to go to the ’pen,” Roberts said. “And then the next part is, he’s got to perform. Tonight, he performed. He was really good. And let’s see it again on Sunday. And then it kind of puts the onus on the organization to make a decision.”
That decision will come quickly. With only eight games remaining, the Dodgers need six wins to clinch the division, but October success often comes down to bullpen reliability. Whether the front office views Sasaki as an option for October will depend on how he looks in this short sample and whether they believe his velocity and swing-and-miss stuff can hold up in high-leverage innings.
For Sasaki, the timing is unusual but potentially historic. Few pitchers make the jump from starting prospect to playoff reliever within a single season, and even fewer in their first year stateside. Yet the Dodgers have never shied away from aggressive decisions with young talent, and it could very well benefit them in their favor.
The next week won’t just decide a division it could also determine whether Sasaki’s major league debut comes under the brightest lights of October baseball.