Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke about his confidence in relief pitcher Roki Sasaki after using him out of the bullpen on back-to-back nights.
Sasaki closed out Game 3 of the NLCS for the Dodgers on Thursday, earning his third MLB save and returning to pitch the ninth on Friday. The right-hander has become a reliable arm out of the Dodgers’ bullpen over the course of the postseason, earning the trust of his teammates and, more importantly, Roberts.
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“I have confidence in Roki,” Roberts said. “I trust him. I believe in his talent. I believe in his mind. And so, yeah, I wasn’t too worried about the back-to-back.”
“In the postseason, there are a lot of things that people and players never do. But if you want to win a championship, you have to be willing to take risks. And for me, I had complete confidence in Roki tonight.”
Roberts didn’t betray his faith in Sasaki, who came in for a scoreless ninth inning, as he has done in all but one game in the postseason. Sasaki has made seven appearances, throwing a total of eight innings over the course of the playoffs while allowing just one run. He has his first three MLB saves this postseason, and he looked fantastic doing so.
His first appearance this postseason came in a fairly low situation against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, and he kept a clean inning as the Dodgers advanced to the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Against the Phillies, Sasaki earned the first two saves of his career in a hostile environment in Philadelphia without allowing a run. His best performance of the postseason, however, came in Game 4 of the NLDS, when he pitched three perfect innings in a tie game, which the Dodgers ultimately won.
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Sasaki’s scoreless inning streak ended in Game 1 against the Brewers, but he rebounded with scoreless performances in Games 3 and 4.
The Dodgers are now just four wins away from defending their World Series title and have a week to rest before meeting the Seattle Mariners or Toronto Blue Jays in the Fall Classic. Regardless of who wins, the series begins next Friday, October 24.
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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