Roki Sasaki proves he’s the Dodgers’ staff ace of the future

Roki Sasaki was literally the toast of the Dodgers.

“Shot for Roki!” » shouted infielder Miguel Rojas.

Booing and shouting, the players raised the small paper cups in their hands and emptied the contents into their mouths to celebrate the three perfect innings delivered by Sasaki in a 2-1, 11-inning victory over the Philadelphia Phillies that secured their spot in the National League Championship Series.

Sasaki’s emergence as October’s hero was as unexpected as his relief performance in the NL Division Series was electric.

How did this happen?

How did a newcomer who was all but gone after a shoulder impingement five months earlier become the team’s most dominant reliever?

How could a pitcher the Dodgers had more or less given up on produce what manager Dave Roberts described as “one of the greatest outings of all time out of the pen”?

Sasaki can point to the moment he started on the road to playoff glory.

“The scene at the hotel,” Sasaki said in Japanese.

September 8.

Sasaki was in a hotel room in Oklahoma City, preparing to pitch the next day for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate.

While eating, he watched videos of himself presenting his project at Ofunato High School. His high kick was the same then as it is now, but what he did in the next phase of his delivery was not.

Sasaki noticed he was more explosive before putting his foot down and releasing the ball.

“That’s it,” he said to himself.

There, in his Oklahoma City hotel room, Sasaki began throwing shadows, wanting to recapture the feeling in his lower body from the days when he was considered the most talented pitcher his country had ever produced.

The next day, Sasaki rediscovered his fastball.

Of the 90 pitches he threw in his 4⅔ inning start, six of them were clocked at over 100 mph. His average fastball velocity was 98.5 mph.

Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki delivers in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the NLDS against the Phillies at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

His average starting fastball speed before that: 94.4 mph.

A few days later, Sasaki met with Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes. While assuring him that they saw him as a starter next year and beyond, they presented him with the idea of ​​a temporary move to the bullpen, which could significantly improve his chances of making the playoff team.

Sasaki more than made the list.

The most valuable players aren’t chosen for the division series, but if they had been, Sasaki probably would have claimed the prize.

He saved games 1 and 2.

Roberts had Sasaki pitch two innings in the deciding game. Sasaki ended up pitching three, starting with an eighth inning in which he retired Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm in order.

Sasaki made the Phillies look as overmatched at the plate as Shohei Ohtani did in the postseason, also pitching perfect ninth and 10th innings.

“I was relieved,” Sasaki said.

Roberts felt a more intense emotion – “Pure elation,” he said – which is why he didn’t wait for Sasaki to return to the shelter to kiss him. Roberts jumped off the bench and hugged Sasaki on the court.

Sasaki’s effort kept the score at 1-1, allowing the Dodgers to win the game in the 11th inning on a throwing error by Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering.

“Roki was amazing,” starter Tyler Glasnow said. “Since he came back from the bullpen, he’s honestly one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen. His stuff is unbelievable.”

Sasaki didn’t look like that in the eight starts he made early in the regular season. Part of this had to do with health, as Sasaki said his shoulder issues were affecting his arm slot. When Sasaki recovered, he regained more than just his natural throwing motion and previous fastball speed.

He also regained confidence.

Sasaki projected an entirely different energy than during his introductory press conference, during which he looked uncomfortable.

When asked if he had been taunted by fans at Citizens Bank Park, he said he didn’t understand what they were saying. The implication: he didn’t care.

When asked about his first season in the major leagues, he said he felt like his injury prevented him from evaluating the level of competition. The implication: If he was healthy, he would have dominated like he is now.

“He’s very shy and reserved,” Roberts said. “But I think [since] coming back, it opened up a lot more. I think he shows more of who he really is and shows some emotion.

The change was reflected on the field in the NLDS, with Sasaki attacking the Phillies in a style that conveyed a hit me if you can attitude. His performance helped make him the ace of the bullpen in October and may be the reason he will be the ace of the rotation moving forward.

“We’re starting to see something really special in him,” Roberts said. “What he’s done now on the biggest stages, he’s only scratching the surface.”