Is Roki Sasaki the Dodgers closer now? Why its

The Dodgers aren’t prepared to call Roki Sasaki their closer, but who are they kidding?

Sasaki is their closer.

When the 23-year-old rookie from the Japanese countryside stepped onto the October stage on Wednesday evening, he revealed himself to be more than the group’s best late-inning option.

He confirmed he was particular.

He was Reggie-Bush-exploding-through-the-Frenso-State-defense particular.

He was Allen-Iverson-crossing-up-Michael-Jordan particular.

He was Yasiel-Puig-doubling-off-a-runner-for-the-final-out-in-his-debut particular.

“Wow,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “Really, all you can say is wow.”

Watching Sasaki pitch the ultimate inning of a two-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in their National League wild-card sequence, the patrons at Dodger Stadium at once acknowledged the novelty of his act. The same crowd that can’t distinguish home runs from fly balls was chanting his first identify throughout the ballpark after just two pitches.

Sasaki threw seven fastballs in the good inning, and six of them had been quicker than 100 mph. The other was clocked at 99.8 mph.

With a forkball that appeared as if it was dropping perpendicular to the ground, he struck out the first two batters he confronted. Spencer Steer and Gavin Lux had no likelihood.

“That guy is gross,” reliever Tanner Scott said.

The 11-pitch efficiency by Sasaki was why the 8-4 victory in Game 2 felt so different than the 10-5 win in Game 1. In both video games, the bullpen created messes in the eighth inning. Game 1 left the Dodgers questioning how they may defend their World Series title with such an unreliable group of relievers. Game 2 provided them a imaginative and prescient of how they may notice their ambition.

“That’s what we need right there,” Muncy said.

Sasaki was the last card in the deck for the Dodgers, who gave up on Scott before the playoffs even began. They experimented with some less skilled arms, but none of them carried out nicely. Edgardo Henriquez and Jack Dreyer had been half of a dispiriting three-run eighth inning against the Reds in Game 1. Converted starter Emmet Sheehan was half of another eighth-inning meltdown in Game 2, as he retired just one of the 5 batters he confronted, and that was on a sacrifice fly that drove in a run. Sheehan was charged with two runs.

By the time Sasaki began warming up in the backside of the eighth inning, he may as nicely have already inherited the closer position by default. The other candidates had pitched their means out of consideration.

Never thoughts that Sasaki had never pitched in aid in either the United States or Japan until he did so on a latest minor-league rehabilitation project. Sasaki pitched out of the bullpen twice in the major leagues in the ultimate days of the common season, and he was about as promising a bullpen chance as that they had.

So when Sasaki emerged from the bullpen against the Reds, followers in every part of Dodger Stadium stood to applaud. Sasaki represented their ultimate hope.

Once on the mound, Sasaki delivered a efficiency that was aesthetically pleasing as it was efficient.

The high leg kick. The athletic supply. The velocity and precision of his fastball.

Words couldn’t precisely describe what he did, so his teammates didn’t hassle making an attempt.

“You guys saw the same thing I did,” catcher Ben Rortvedt said.

Dodgers management was reluctant to say something definitive about Sasaki’s position transferring ahead.

Was Sasaki the new closer?

“He’s going to get important outs for us,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman replied.

Asked the same query, supervisor Dave Roberts provided an equally ambiguous reply.

“I trust him,” Roberts said, “and he’s going to pitch in leverage.”

As guarded as Friedman and Roberts had been, they couldn’t conceal the fact. Something essentially modified for the Dodgers on Wednesday evening: They discovered their ninth-inning pitcher.

Sasaki is their closer.