PHOENIX — Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw each threw a scoreless inning of relief during the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in 11 innings Wednesday night, giving a preview of what L.A.’s bullpen might look like in October.
Sasaki, 23, was activated from the 60-day injured list before the game and handled the seventh, striking out two batters and flashing a fastball that was close to 100 mph. Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who recently announced he will be retiring after the season, worked a clean ninth, retiring three straight to send the game to extra innings.
Sasaki hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since May 9 because of a shoulder injury but impressed in his initial outing as part of the bullpen. All eight of his previous MLB outings were starts, though he did make a few relief appearances during his time at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
“He looks like a different person,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Sasaki. “I think that we’ve simplified things as far as the bullpen. It’s an inning or two. I think there’s just a lot more confidence and conviction. Obviously, the stuff is up from where it was earlier this year.”
Kershaw, 37, also made his first relief appearance this season after 21 starts. He said he’s willing to handle any role the Dodgers want him to during the postseason.
“It’s an adrenaline rush for sure,” Kershaw said. “Relieving is just a different animal altogether. You’ve got to figure out how to maintain your heartbeat and get going, but it’s a lot of fun — and it’s fun to have success out there.”
As Roberts said, “Right now, you’re betting on people. For me, I trust Clayton, and he did a great job tonight.”
The defending World Series champions are searching for bullpen help as the postseason approaches. Tanner Scott blew a save in Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Sasaki agreed in January to a minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus as an international amateur free agent under Major League Baseball’s rules, leaving the Pacific League’s Chiba Lotte Marines under the posting system.
His debut season in the big leagues has been mostly disappointing, but the Dodgers hope he’s ready to contribute.
Sasaki is one of three Japanese players on the Dodgers’ roster along with two-way star Shohei Ohtani and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
