It is pretty much a painful reality that when the (now) National League Wild Card-winning Los Angeles Dodgers take a narrow lead into the ninth inning of a game, things can get a bit dicey. Gone are the glory days of (now) 49-year-old Cy Young Award-winner / three-time All-Star ‘Game Over’ / ‘Lights Out’ right-handed former Dodgers closer Eric Gagné, when saves were nearly automatic.
Oh, sure, you can argue that 29-year-old de facto Dodgers left-handed closer Alex Vesia has done a fair job in the extremely crucial role, but let’s be honest here, saving only five of nine save opportunities during the 2025 regular season has Gagné and his 187 career saves chuckling.
Enter 23-year-old Rikuzentakata, Japan native Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki who, in Wednesday’s Wild Card-clenching 8-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds in front of a sold out Dodger Stadium crowd of 50,465, dazzled every one of them and the millions more watching on television.
“I could hear the atmosphere becoming really intense, it was my first time pitching in the ninth,” Sasaki said postgame through interpreter Will Ireton. “I felt the crowd really helped me focus, so I was really happy with the results,” he added.
of the ninth (on four pitches), was huge. (ESPN)
Asked postgame if Sasaki is now his closer, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts answered: “I trust him and he’s going to be pitching in leverage, so that was… you know, the more you pitch guys you learn more, so like I said about Yamamoto, I don’t think the moment’s going to be too big for Roki.”
As for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 27-year-old Bizen, Japan native was nothing short of sensational in his 6.2-inning start, allowing only two (unearned) runs on four hits, while walking two and striking out nine.
“As a starting pitcher, my job is to getting deeper into the game as possible, and today I was just trying to bring everything out there,” Yamamoto answered, when asked about pitching into the seventh inning.
out of the sixth inning with the bases loaded and the Dodgers up 3-2. (ESPN)
On the offensive side, Dodgers future Hall of Famer Mookie Betts had the game of his life, going 4-for-5 with three doubles and three RBIs.
With Wednesday’s win, the Dodgers get to enjoy two full days off before Game-1 of the National League Division Series against the NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, with first pitch set at either 3:08 pm PT or 3:38 pm PT depending on the outcome of Thursday’s AL Wild Card series.
Play Ball!
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