As of late, the resurgence of 23-year-old flamethrower Roki Sasaki has been the talk of the town, especially due to taking on a more personal role in terms of pitching.
Since making the transition from starter to reliever, Sasaki showed the baseball world that he is more than capable of handling the pressure of a new role, especially in the midst of the Postseason, as he made his Postseason pitching debut in relief for the Dodgers in the ninth inning of a series-clinching game with a chance to sweep the Cincinnati Reds and head to the NLDS for the 13th straight year.
Sasaki was heeled down and delivered a scoreless ninth in which he displayed his nasty splitter and threw multiple fastballs that hit triple digits.
Since then, all eyes have been on Sasaki and the challenges he has faced since making the transition, if any. During Friday afternoon’s NLDS workout press conference, we got the answer directly from the man himself.
“It takes a while to warm up,” Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton. “In a playoff format, I think I am able to do that because I do have the stamina as a starting pitcher.”
Sasaki also gave his insight on what he enjoys about his new home in the bullpen and what he can contribute to the team from a different sector.
“The fun part about relieving is the opportunity to contribute to the team everyday,” Sasaki said.
Short and simple from Sasaki, but that has always been his demeanor, and the 23-year-old looks confident heading into the Dodgers’ second round of the Postseason.
