Dodgers Deploy Roki Sasaki as Key Postseason Closer Amid Bullpen Struggles

The Dodgers’ bullpen has been the club’s biggest weakness this season, as many returning relievers regressed and several offseason additions (Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Brock Stewart) failed to perform, producing walks, huge pitch counts and late-inning meltdowns that nearly jeopardized their postseason run. Despite an explosive offense and elite starting pitching, shaky late innings — which Andrew Friedman describes as execution and a “crisis of confidence” — forced Dave Roberts to search for answers. Enter Roki Sasaki: the 23-year-old Japanese flamethrower, recently back from the injured list, who has been unhittable in relief, sitting triple digits with his fastball and closing Game 2 with 11 electric pitches (nine strikes) to seal the Wild Card sweep. Dodgers leadership and teammates (Friedman, Roberts, Miguel Rojas) have voiced strong trust in Sasaki’s poise and ability to pitch in leverage, making him a potentially game-changing bullpen weapon. While his emergence offers a timely short-term fix as the Dodgers head to the NLDS, relying on a rookie with limited relief experience is not a guaranteed long-term solution.