by Megan Garcia
If the Phillies wanted to get ahead of the Dodgers, they needed to get past Roki Sasaki.
It never happened.
Sasaki was unbeatable, again. A pitching line filled with zeroes has become a common sight for the right-hander in the postseason. This time, in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, Sasaki did it for three innings.
His confidence and toughness were palpable. Philadelphia’s lineup couldn’t counter that. Sasaki’s 100-mph fastball complicated matters. And it was everything the Dodgers needed to punch their ticket to the National League Championship Series.
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“You’re talking about one of the great all-time appearances out of the pen that I can remember,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Certainly, given where he started this year, what he is as a starting pitcher, to go out there and not only go one inning, two innings and then three innings, and to do what he did gave us a huge boost.”
The initial plan was for Sasaki to pitch two innings. Things changed when he faced the minimum in the eighth and ninth on 18 pitches.
Sasaki had only pitched one inning in his five other relief appearances (regular season and postseason) leading up to Thursday.
“I felt he could handle us pushing him. And he didn’t bat an eye. He was ready, and he didn’t run from it,” Roberts said. “It’s part of the Japanese culture, the toughness. He’s been a star his entire life. And I just felt that in that moment, in the ninth inning, he was the best option right there to keep this game going.”
Sasaki’s big-game pedigree goes back to competing in national championships as a teenager in Japan. He also joined Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the 2023 World Baseball Classic with Team Japan. All three walked away with a gold medal.
Now he can add pitching his team to the NLCS to his résumé.
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“I’ve experienced the playoff atmosphere here in the U.S. and Japan. I’m glad I was able to get a little bit of that experience in Philadelphia,” Sasaki said. “So, when I came back here to pitch at Dodger Stadium, I didn’t feel any nerves.”
Sasaki was unfazed when Kyle Schwarber, the first batter he faced in the eighth, swatted a fly ball 325 feet to left field. It was the farthest ball to leave the infield. The other eight batters followed in succession with outs.
He recorded two strikeouts against the Phillies — both on his fastball. His splitter recorded five swings and misses. Though it’s a small sample size, there’s been a notable difference in how his stuff plays.
And one of the biggest keys to Sasaki’s reinvention has been his newfound confidence. It was one of the root problems that was identified during his four-month stint on the injured list.
So, he worked with coaches in Arizona at the Dodgers’ training complex during the rehab process to reach this point in October.
“My fastball velo was back to where it used to be, and the command of the fastball was where I wanted it to be as well. I think that really helps with the off-speed,” Sasaki said. “And because of that, I do really feel confident to be able to attack in zone.”
Sasaki attacked the Phillies with 26 strikes out of his 36 pitches. His last pitch was a 100-mph fastball to Trea Turner, who lined out to left field. It closed the book on his final pitching line.
Awaiting him at the top step of the Dodger dugout was his manager. They shared an embrace, celebrating the young pitcher’s job well done.
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It was another step forward in Sasaki’s growth, and it bridged the opportunity for the Dodgers to win 2–1 in walk-off fashion in the 11th and take the series in four games.
“I pull for the players, and just seeing, in April and May, when Roki was sitting at the end of the dugout watching his team play, being injured, not performing well,” Roberts said. “Sticking with them, building a relationship with him and to now see him go not only one inning but two innings and be our closer and go three innings, I just felt so happy for him.”
2025 NLDS: Roki Sasaki’s postseason excellence reaches a new height was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.