by Mark Langill
It didn’t take long for converted starting pitcher Roki Sasaki to make postseason history.
The right-hander on Saturday became the first Dodger rookie to record his first career save in the postseason in a 5–3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
With three starters positioned for the playoffs — Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — Sasaki has joined the “anything goes in October” pitching fraternity.
Alongside Sasaki for today’s Game 2 at Citizens Bank Park is the soon-to-be-retired Clayton Kershaw, the 18-year veteran whose only two career saves occurred in the postseason with the Dodgers in 2016 and 2023.
Across the field in the Phillies dugout is Walker Buehler, who with the 2024 Dodgers recorded his only career save closing out LA’s 7–6 World Series clinching victory in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.
The difference between Sasaki and Buehler and Kershaw is this is Sasaki’s role for an entire postseason. And though he has appeared in the ninth inning in both of his postseason relief appearances (including Game 2 of the Wild Card Series), the Dodgers won’t go as far as to label him as their closer.
“I just don’t want to be pigeonholed into the ninth because with the way this lineup is constructed, there could be different ways where the eighth could present itself where (Sasaki) could be the best option,” Roberts said on Sunday. “But I do consider him one of our top highest-leverage relievers for sure.”
Before Sasaki, only two other Dodger rookies registered a save in the postseason.
Larry Sherry, the MVP of the 1959 World Series, had two wins and two saves against the Chicago White Sox. In Game 2 of the 1978 World Series, Bob Welch struck out the Yankees’ Reggie Jackson in an epic nine-pitch at-bat with runners on first and second to save a 4–3 victory.
Sherry made 14 relief appearances in the 1959 regular season. Welch made 10.
Sasaki made two — both in the final week of the regular season.
“The fun part about relieving is the opportunity to be able to contribute to the game, to the team every day,” Sasaki said coming into the NLDS.
On Sept. 24, Sasaki pitched a scoreless inning in the Dodgers’ 5–4 victory in 11 innings at Arizona. Two days later, he pitched another scoreless inning in a 3–2 win at Seattle.
The seventh inning at Seattle included a two-out double by Randy Arozarena. With the Dodgers leading 3–1, American League MVP candidate Cal Raleigh stepped to the plate. The sellout crowd thundered in anticipation of Raleigh’s 61st home run. Instead, Sasaki struck him out swinging to end the threat.
“We saw him give up a double in Seattle — see how he responded to getting hit, to having a guy on base, to then be thrust into on the road, in a save situation, give up a double,” Roberts said. “And how he continued to attack the zone, get the grounder, get the pop-up was very valuable information.
“I just felt confident in him that he’d be able to handle his emotions in any circumstance. But I think it makes us all feel better once you see him in certain spots and how he responds.”
2025 NLDS: Rookie Sasaki’s comeback ‘saves’ Dodgers was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.