LOS ANGELES — The writing appeared to be on the wall when it came to Roki Sasaki‘s season in early September.
Sasaki had just completed his fourth rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City, allowing four runs in five innings. Concerningly, he averaged just 94.4 mph on his four-seamer, his second-lowest mark in 12 starts in the Majors and Minors.
Manager Dave Roberts was closer to verbalizing the harsh truths of the matter than he had been for most of Sasaki’s rehab process: There was no fit for Sasaki on the Dodgers as currently constructed.
“Against Triple-A hitters, you would expect more,” Roberts said on Sept. 3. “And I guess the bar is high right now, because we’re in a pennant race. So to warrant pitching on our staff right now, there’s got to be urgency on his part and really dominant performance.”
Flash forward seven weeks, and Sasaki has done more than just carve out a role on a Dodgers team that is just four wins away from defending its World Series title. He has become arguably their most trusted relief arm, seemingly out of nowhere.
“It’s the same as when I was starting — there’s no such thing as a perfect performance every time,” Sasaki said in Japanese. “You have to find a way to get three outs, no matter what.”
This version of Sasaki — who’s converted three saves and allowed just one run in eight postseason innings — is what the Dodgers had hoped was in there all along. It was just a matter of unlocking it.
“I mean, he’s a freaky arm talent,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “He is so talented, so for him to do this isn’t shocking at all.”
Sasaki was one of the most highly sought-after arms available this past offseason, a hard-thrower with legitimate frontline potential at just 23 years old, but his velocity had begun to dip in his final two seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball.
The Dodgers aced the homework assignment that Sasaki gave to his suitors: Identify why his fastball velocity had ticked down and come up with a plan to fix it. But open as he was to changing for the better, there was some hesitation under the surface.
“We knew that he was a guy that was accustomed to doing things a certain way, and we were going to embrace that,” Friedman said. “At the same time, forging a relationship and building trust and getting to a place where we could partner together, and not pushing it prematurely.”
That marked the beginning of more than four months in which Sasaki was out of big league action, during which he and the organization laid the groundwork for his path back to being the pitcher he expected to be.
“I like to give credit to the pitching coach in Arizona,” Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton, referring to director of pitching Rob Hill. “When I was rehabbing, [we were] able to identify clearly what the issue was and come to some kind of agreement on what the actual root of the problem is.”
Sasaki was able to dive into cleaning up his delivery, which had gotten out of whack as he had compensated for previous shoulder and oblique injuries. He also worked with strength and conditioning coach Travis Smith to build a routine to become more physical throughout the season.
Things didn’t really click until after that shaky fourth start with Oklahoma City, which spurred another film study session. Sasaki already felt better about the more natural way he was using his shoulder in his throwing motion, but this time, he identified a better way to use his lower body.
The next time Sasaki took the ball with Oklahoma City, he looked much improved, averaging 98.3 mph on his fastball. The fact of the matter remained that the Dodgers did not need another starting pitcher — by that point in September, their six-man rotation was well on its way to historic dominance — but the bullpen was in flux.
So Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes sat down with Sasaki and broached the subject of him shifting to the ‘pen for the rest of the year.
“‘If you don’t want to do it, we understand. There’s risk in it,'” Friedman recalled telling Sasaki. “‘But if you want to, we think there’s a real pathway for you to help us win a championship.’ We said we don’t want the answer right now, but think about it. Next day, called us, and said, ‘I’m in.'”
It was in the NLCS that Sasaki hit his first speed bump since returning, giving up his first run in relief and not making it out of the ninth inning in Game 1. The shaky outing came on three days’ rest, after he pitched multiple innings in relief for the first time in NLDS Game 4.
“To be able to turn around in two days, three days and ask him to be as effective or as dominant is probably unrealistic for anybody, really,” pitching coach Mark Prior said. “… He’s been relieving for two-and-a-half weeks. So he’s still trying to figure out what that lifestyle is like down there.”
As Sasaki has navigated this unfamiliar role, he’s gotten back in tune with himself.
At one point, he was asked which came back first, his velocity or his confidence. He replied that it was a combination. It helps to be able to contribute at this time of year. But most of all, feeling like himself again has made the biggest difference.
“I think mental strength comes from technical confidence,” Sasaki said in Japanese. “If you’re confident in your skills, your mindset won’t be easily shaken.”
