Roki Sasaki faced lofty expectations in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but early struggles and a right shoulder injury prevented him from finding any sort of a rhythm.
Sasaki returned from the 60-day injured list during the final week of the season, but in a bullpen role that yielded positive results. He allowed just one hit and struck out four in a combined two scoreless innings of work.
Sasaki carried that success into the postseason and registered three saves with a 0.84 ERA in nine appearances. Included in that was a heroic three-inning effort against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.
During an appearance on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove,” former Dodgers pitcher David Price said that Sasaki being able to bounce back and find success as a reliever should help with his development:
“I mean, I would’ve done anything just to be in The Show, pitching in the playoffs. Just to get a little taste of the playoffs at such a young age, that was huge. Just to be a part of the clubhouse, be with all the guys, be out on the field, record some big outs, that’s what Roki was able to do. I think that is going to be a huge boost for his confidence because I know he was down on himself early on in the season. He wasn’t getting the results that he expected to get and stuff like that. For him to bounce back, go to the Minor Leagues, figure some stuff out, come back healthy and to record some of the biggest outs for the Dodgers in the playoffs, that’s going to be huge for him.”
Like Sasaki, Price had a brief run as a reliever during his rookie season that wound up being pivotal to his career trajectory.
The left-hander posted a 1.59 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in five relief appearances for the Tampa Bay Rays during their 2008 World Series run before returning to the rotation the following season.
Price went on to earn five All-Star selections and 2012 American League Cy Young Award during his 14-year career.
The Dodgers hope Sasaki can follow in Price’s footsteps when he returns to the starting rotation next season.
Blake Snell saw more confidence in Roki Sasaki
Sasaki looked like a completely different pitcher in his bullpen role with the Dodgers, and Blake Snell immediately noticed some of the differences from his time as a starter.
“I like how much he’s confident when he comes out of the ‘pen to close games,” Snell recently said. “He’s throwing strikes, he’s attacking. He’s fearless. It’s a different Roki.
“The starter Roki was more cautious and a little nervous, from what I could see. And he has such good stuff, but he was just nervous of what the hitter could do. Now he’s going out there, he’s more confident in what he can do, and that’s so much fun to watch. And the team’s really behind him and pushing, and he’s coming out just extremely confident.
“It’s so much fun to watch him pitch that way.”
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