The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are two games into their National League Championship Series matchup, tied at 1-1 as they open up the three-game stretch at Citi Field.
Looking at the Dodgers roster has some lesser-known names in the bullpen who have already factored into their postseason plans. Among those is 25-year-old Ben Casparius, who made his playoff debut in in the ninth inning of Game 1.
“It was great, and I think that’s a big thing for us,” Casparius said. “Just try to minimize that and try to treat it like any other day, any other game. Whoever is in the box, just execute and keep going.”
Casparius was added to the Dodgers roster in their NL Division Series round as a replacement for Michael Grove, who suffered an injury. The club decided to keep Casparius in the mix, and with a 9-0 lead in Game 1, they went to the rookie for the final three outs.
He set the Mets down in order, including Pete Alsonso and Starling Marte. Starting the year in Double-A with the Tulsa Drillers, Casparius didn’t envision being where he is now.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “I got off to a really good start and followed that up with getting to Triple-A and getting used to that environment, and using the big league ball. But I didn’t think this was in the cards for me. I’m just happy to be here and do whatever I can to help the team win.”
Casparius has flashed some incredible stuff from a metrics standpoint, including his slider that grades out very well.
Playing on the biggest stage, he has nothing but amazing things to say about the big club as a whole, and how it took him some time to shake the nerves of being in Major League Baseball.
“In general, I think the first week or so that I was here, I was definitely on the quieter side,” he said. “Just tried to get comfortable with everything new here, and it’s a huge operation.
“A lot goes into a day of baseball. I think over time in the last couple weeks, I’ve gotten really comfortable with the guys, coaching staff and everything. It’s been fun. I think I’m starting to loosen up a little bit.”
Ben Casparius on preparedness of Dodgers bullpen
The Dodgers have already called upon the bullpen to run two games on their shoulders, the most recent one with Landon Knack being the bulk guy, however, didn’t go as planned.
But looking back to the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, the plan worked flawlessly, as each guy knows their role.
“Everybody is ready to go on a nightly basis,” Casparius said. “We take advantage of the off days and our bullpen is filled with a ton of veterans who have been here before, know how to treat every situation and are ready to go.”
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