Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts continued to praise rookie right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki after he had another strong postseason showing.
Sasaki came in for the ninth inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers and pitched a perfect inning to earn his third save this postseason. The right-hander bounced back from a shaky performance in Game 1 to close the door on the Brewers and bring the Dodgers within one game of the World Series.
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However, the 23-year-old didn’t always have the mental strength he does now as videos emerged of him getting emotional in the dugout during his difficult start to the season. Sasaki made eight starts before landing on the injured list in May, with a 1-1 record and a 4.72 ERA.
‘His growth has certainly not been linear’ said Roberts. “At that moment, when he was struggling and emotional on the bench, and there’s a lot of video and pictures of that, and for him to do a little bit of self-reflection and get healthy and put himself back on the radar for our 2025 ball club, speaks to his fight.
“And I don’t think anyone could have foreseen him in this role in April or May.
“So I give Roki a lot of credit for getting to that point. And now he can look back at 2025 and look at it fondly.”
More news: Dodgers beat Brewers in NLCS Game 3, move 1 win away from World Series
Since returning from a long spell on the injured list, Sasaki has been out. He came back from the IL to test out a new role in the bullpen, and established himself immediately. He made two relief appearances in the regular season and threw two scoreless innings.
Sasaki continued that momentum into the postseason, putting together a solid ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds before recording his first two MLB saves on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies. His best performance to date came in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Phillies, where he pitched three perfect innings in a tie game.
The Dodgers look to close out their series against the Brewers at home on Friday with Shohei Ohtani taking the mound for LA. Game 4 starts Friday at 5:38 PM PT.
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn images
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