The Los Angeles Dodgers entered Saturday’s contest against the Phillies riding a seven-game win streak. Although they quickly fell behind 0–3, the team never wavered. By the final inning, Los Angeles held a two-run lead and turned to closer Roki Sasaki to seal the win. He delivered — and made history alongside Shohei Ohtani in the process.
“In the process, Ohtani and Sasaki became the first Japanese-born starter/reliever combo to earn both the win and save in the same postseason game,” MLB.com’s Brent Maguire wrote.
Sasaki has become a household name among Dodgers fans over the past week since being recalled. Originally brought in as a starter, a late-season experiment using him out of the bullpen has breathed new life into his role. Though he’s only had a handful of relief appearances, his performance against the Seattle Mariners put everyone on notice.
“Roki Sasaki with another shutdown inning in relief. He had 2 strikeouts and 4 whiffs on 12 pitches. He got Cal Raleigh on this ugly swing and miss. He also touched 100.1 mph. The Dodgers bullpen has quite the weapon for October,” Dodgers Nation’s Noah Camras posted.
After being called on to close Saturday night, Sasaki earned his first career save — but it almost didn’t happen. Manager Dave Roberts revealed that Sasaki’s opportunity came only after Tyler Glasnow began to fade late in his outing.
“Dave Roberts said Tyler Glasnow could have remained in the game for a three-inning save if he had better results in the 8th,” Dodger Blue posted.
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In the end, the Dodgers faithful are happy with how things unfolded, but the historic moment nearly slipped away. Just a few different outcomes in the 8th inning could have delayed a memorable debut save for Sasaki.
Despite the small sample size, Sasaki has shown he thrives in high-pressure moments out of the bullpen. There’s no time like the present — and so far, Sasaki has looked most dominant in relief. Still, Tyler Glasnow nearly stole what turned out to be a special ending.
