The world of sports is constantly changing and MLB is no exception. The performance of players can vary from one period of time to another and that is what happened with Roki Sasaki, the young pitcher who started the season with doubts, suffered a shoulder injury in June and now has emerged as the key piece for the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ bullpen for the postseason.
Sasaki has not only recovered, but has also shown impressive consistency in a completely new role for him. After being exclusively a starter throughout his professional career in Japan and the Dodgers’ system, he has successfully taken on the role of reliever. This transition comes at the most critical time for a team that has seen its bullpen become its biggest weakness.
From a bad start to a key player
After a difficult start to the 2024 season and a shoulder injury in June, Sasaki’s path to the major league team seemed closed. However, in his last rehab appearances, the rookie showed a drastic change.
This improvement caught the attention of manager Dave Roberts, who decided to move Sasaki to the bullpen, a role he had never played in his professional career. In his first outing as a reliever, Sasaki had an impeccable performance: he pitched one scoreless inning, struck out two batters and his velocity reached 98.9 mph, even touching triple digits.
“Yeah. And well, the first part was for him to give himself the opportunity to accept going to the bullpen. And then the next part is that he has to perform. And tonight he performed, he was really good,” Roberts said.
Sasaki’s great opportunity
The Dodgers’ sudden faith in a rookie is due to the inconsistencies of their own bullpen. With a combined ERA of 4.19, this group has become the team’s biggest weakness, with 12 of its last 19 losses attributed to late-inning collapses.
Now, Sasaki has the opportunity to be the “savior” for the Dodgers in the postseason. With history on his side, the rookie will face one last test on Sunday to prove that he can be the missing piece in the Dodgers’ puzzle.
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