{"id":105560,"date":"2025-10-10T08:47:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T08:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=105560"},"modified":"2025-10-10T08:47:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T08:47:27","slug":"roki-reigns-supreme-dave-roberts-showers-praise-on-roki-sasaki-after-an-unbelievable-nlds-performance-that-left-fans-in-awe-and-cemented-the-rookies-rise-as-the-dodgers-next-supersta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=105560","title":{"rendered":"ROKI REIGNS SUPREME Dave Roberts showers praise on Roki Sasaki after an unbelievable NLDS performance that left fans in awe and cemented the rookie\u2019s rise as the Dodgers\u2019 next superstar..ll"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Heavy-Thumbnail_20251002_152248_0000.png?w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Heavy-Thumbnail_20251002_152248_0000.png?w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Heavy-Thumbnail_20251002_152248_0000.png?w=1100&amp;quality=15&amp;strip=all 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Heavy-Thumbnail_20251002_152248_0000.png?w=1350&amp;quality=35&amp;strip=all 1350w\" alt=\"Dodgers\u2019 Roki Sasaki Praised by Dave Roberts After Unbelievable NLDS Performance\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Roki Sasaki is a Dodger legend.<\/p>\n<p>The 23-year-old rookie came out of the bullpen Thursday night and delivered one of the most dominant relief outings in recent postseason memory. He threw three perfect innings to help close out the Phillies in a 2-1 win that sent Los Angeles back to the NLCS.<\/p>\n<p>As the Orange County Register noted , Manager Dave Roberts didn\u2019t hold back when describing just how dominant Roki Sasaki was in the Dodgers\u2019 series-clinching win. After watching Sasaki shut down the Phillies with three perfect innings, Roberts called it \u201cone of the great all-time appearances out of the pen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Dodgers\u2019 skipper spoke on Sasaki\u2019s growth and composure under pressure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t speak enough to his growth and his contribution to this club,\u201d Roberts said of Sasaki. \u201cWe\u2019re starting to see something really special in him, and that\u2019s why he was courted so hard in the offseason. But what he\u2019s done now on the biggest of stages, he\u2019s just scratching the surface. Couldn\u2019t be more proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Sasaki Steps Up When Dodgers Needed Him Most<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Sasaki\u2019s poise under pressure has been evident all postseason. He earned saves in Games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia and seemed unfazed by the hostile crowd.<\/p>\n<p>After the win, Sasaki admitted he wasn\u2019t nervous, but was just relieved to finish strong. \u201cI don\u2019t understand English that well,\u201d he joked. \u201cSo I didn\u2019t know what they were saying, and I didn\u2019t mind it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this season, the rookie struggled and even broke down after a rough start. But since returning from a shoulder injury in late September , he\u2019s been nearly unhittable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy fastball velo was back to where it used to be,\u201d Sasaki said. \u201cAnd the command of the fastball was where I wanted it to be as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since coming back, Sosaki has thrown 7 \u2153 innings without giving up a run. In that span, he has only given up two hits and has struck out nine batters.<\/p>\n<p>The rookie has now been a crucial part of all three wins in this series, and it is very clear that the Dodgers would not be moving on to the NLCS without him.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><b>Dodgers\u2019 Outlook: A New Ace in the Bullpen<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The Dodgers are headed back to the NLCS with momentum. Sasaki has locked down the closer role for the rest of October, solving the team\u2019s biggest weakness heading into the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>Even as Shohei Ohtani\u2019s bat has gone quiet, L.A.\u2019s other Japanese star has delivered when it matters most.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the Dodgers need to shift their focus to their offense. The bats have gone cold as they have scored just three runs over their last 20 innings.<\/p>\n<p>Shohei Ohtani finished the series 1-for-18 and will need to find his swing if the Dodgers hope to repeat as champions. Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Andy Pages also struggled at the plate and must step up to complement the team\u2019s dominant starting pitching.<\/p>\n<p>The Dodgers will have three full days off and will not play until Monday when they open the NLCS against the winner of Saturday\u2019s Game 5 between the Brewers and Cubs.<\/p>\n<p>Dylan Tracy-Lindenbaum Dylan Tracy-Lindenbaum is a Content Programming Assistant with the NFL and college football, NFL and MLB contributor for Heavy Sports. He has also worked with FOX Sports, the Big Ten Network, and RotoWire. More about Dylan Tracy-Lindenbaum<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Roki Sasaki threw three perfect innings to clinch the NLDS over the Phillies, earning high praise from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":105561,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>ROKI REIGNS SUPREME Dave Roberts showers praise on Roki Sasaki after an unbelievable NLDS performance that left fans in awe and cemented the rookie\u2019s rise as the Dodgers\u2019 next superstar..ll - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=105560\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ROKI REIGNS SUPREME Dave Roberts showers praise on Roki Sasaki after an unbelievable NLDS performance that left fans in awe and cemented the rookie\u2019s rise as the Dodgers\u2019 next superstar..ll - 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