The Los Angeles Dodgers won by the skin of their teeth in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, as Roki Sasaki was brought in to collect the final out of a 4-3 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Dodgers held a comfortable 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth and Blake Treinen was brought in to close out the game. He proceeded to allow three straight hits, with two runs coming in to score and putting the tying run on second base.
Alex Vesia was the next man out of the bullpen and he collected two outs without allowing any further damage. Vesia was aided by the Dodgers pulling off a wheel play to get the lead runner at third base on a sacrifice bunt attempt.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts then brought in Sasaki to face Trea Turner, and he earned a second career save. In addition to giving the Dodgers a 2-0 series lead, Sasaki also became the only pitcher in MLB history to earn his first two career saves in the postseason, according to OptaSTATS:
Since saves became official in 1969, Roki Sasaki of the @Dodgers is the only MLB pitcher to have his first 2 career saves (reg or post) both come in the postseason. pic.twitter.com/O396pi9M9p
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 7, 2025
The moment was another encouraging result for Sasaki as he’s quickly adjusted to a bullpen role.
“He’s throwing strikes, he’s attacking. He’s fearless. It’s a different Roki,” Blake Snell said. “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. ”
Not only has Sasaki seemingly pitched with more confidence, but his teammates have plenty of trust as well. Freddie Freeman said he has faith in Sasaki every time he comes into the game.
“It’s what everyone thought when we signed him. It just took a little bit longer,” Freeman added. “Sometimes that happens, and he looks so good on the mound now, so confident.
“Even when he gets the outs, you can just tell, almost looked like he knew he was going to get it done. It’s a massive weapon for us this whole postseason now.”
Why Dave Roberts used Blake Treinen before Roki Sasaki
The decision to not use Sasaki to start the ninth inning raised some questions given his success as a reliever, but Roberts explained he was reluctant to use the 23-year-old for the second time in three days.
Though, Sasaki did pitch under those circumstances once before the regular season ended.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
