- The Dodgers swept the Reds and will now face the Phillies in the NL Division Series.
- Rookie Roki Sasaki, who had never pitched in relief until a few weeks ago, suddenly finds himself as the Dodgers’ closer.
- The Dodgers are confident in their chances, citing strong starting pitching and a high-scoring offense in recent games.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers cut their celebration short Wednesday night after sweeping the Cincinnati Reds, knowing they had to pack their suitcases and be ready for an 11 a.m. flight Thursday, Oct. 2, for Philadelphia.
Their best-of-five NL Division Series could easily be for the World Series, knowing that whoever comes on top should be the favorite the rest of October.
The star-studded Phillies, who finished with 96 victories and beat up the Dodgers two weeks ago, are built for October and will be eagerly waiting after having a first-round bye.
But when the Dodgers board their two charter planes at LAX, they plan to bring along a little surprise with their carry-ons.
They are bringing a 23-year-old rookie who had never pitched a game in relief in his life until a few weeks ago, and suddenly has been anointed their closer – just in time for the powerful Phillies.
Say hello to Roki Sasaki, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning in the Dodgers’ 8-4 victory, throwing 11 pitches, nine for strikes, with nine fastballs hitting at least 100 mph, answering the Dodgers’ prayers with their troubled bullpen.
‘I trust him, and he’s going to be pitching in leverage,’ said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who couldn’t have imagined uttering those words even a week ago. ‘The more you pitch guys and play guys, you learn more. I don’t think the moment’s going to be too big for Roki.’
The Dodgers won’t come out and say it publicly, but just like a year ago when they beat the San Diego Padres in the NL Division Series before breezing through October, they believe this could be their World Series.
The Phillies should be their biggest challenge to becoming the first National League team since the Big Red Machine in 1975-76 to win back-to-back World Series titles. Yet, that task will be a lot easier if Sasaki can perform like he has shown the past 10 days.
‘I think we can win it all,’ Roberts said. ‘I think we’re equipped to do that. We certainly have the pedigree. We certainly have the hunger. We’re playing great baseball. And in all honesty, I don’t care who we play, I just want to be the last team standing.’
Who can blame Roberts and his team for believing they’re the best team in baseball? They have won 17 of their last 22 games. Their offense has scored 113 runs in the last 20 games – averaging nearly six runs a game.
‘I think what we’re seeing is winning pitches, using the whole field, fighting and not trying to just slug,’ Roberts said. ‘I think we’re taking team at-bats. Situationally, we’ve been fantastic. … We’re doing whatever it takes. Just team baseball. Team at-bats.’
Oh, yes, there also is that starting pitching. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the latest Dodger starter to dominate, overpowering the Reds for 6⅔ innings. He is now yielding a 1.34 ERA while striking out 65 in his last 53⅔ innings across eight starts. This comes on the heels of Blake Snell’s brilliant performance in Game 1, who is yielding a 1.03 ERA with 37 strikeouts in his last 26 innings over four starts.
And, there is the Dodgers’ DH, whose side gig is pitching, with Shohei Ohtani tossing 17⅓ shutout innings in his last four starts.
‘Our rotation has been awesome,’ said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations. ‘What Snell did. What Yamamoto did. What Roki did to finish. We still have some things to work out in the bullpen, but we feel really good about this team.’
The Dodgers are lined up to have their three top starters pitch the first three games with Ohtani starting Game 1 on Saturday, Oct. 4, Snell starting Game 2 on Monday and Yamamoto pitching Game 3 on Wednesday.
The Dodgers went 2-4 during the season against the Phillies and watched Philadelphia celebrate clinching the NL East at Dodger Stadium two weeks ago. The Dodgers will tell you they respect the Phillies. They’ll also tell you there’s no fear. They’d even love to get a little revenge for their predecessors, after the Phillies ended L.A.’s season in 2008 and 2009.
‘When you have talent that’s motivated to win,’ Friedman said, ‘it’s a special combination. I would not bet against them.’
The Dodgers aren’t going all Joe Namath and guaranteeing a World Series championship, but with the way they’re playing, the way that Sasaki has suddenly looked like a different pitcher brimming with confidence, they certainly believe they’re better than the Phillies and anyone else who stands in their way.
‘Obviously I know we can win the whole thing,’ said Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who tied a franchise postseason record with three doubles in a game, last accomplished by Jim Gilliam in Game 4 of the 1953 World Series. ‘We just have to play good baseball. We had a lot of struggles really all year. But I think we all view that as just a test to see how we would respond. So now we’re starting to use those tests that we went through earlier to respond now and be ready now.
‘And anything that comes our way, it can’t be worse than what we’ve already went through.’
The Dodgers aren’t trying to sugarcoat their bullpen woes. They blew 27 saves this year. They tried to cough up a 10-2 lead in Game 1, and nearly melted down in the eighth inning Wednesday, even yanking starter-turned-reliever Emmet Sheehan out of the game after getting ahead on a 1-and-2 count.
Yet, just when it could have turned ugly, along came Sasaki to the rescue, suddenly helping squelch fear that their season could be ruined by their bullpen. Sasaki, whose pitching mechanics deteriorated during the season, endured an oblique injury, shoulder soreness and spent four months away from the team. Now he looks as if he’s been a closer his whole life.
‘I think you can definitely tell a different demeanor on the mound,’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said, ‘and in this game, sometimes that counts for everything. That’s what I’m seeing. He believes in himself, and we believe in him.’
Perhaps just in the nick of time to face the Phillies, the Beast of the East.
‘I feel like Philly has been playing really good baseball over the last two years,’ Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas said, ‘and they want to be in this spot. We’re the reigning champions. Everybody wants what we have right now. I think Philly is getting ready for us.
‘It’s a great opportunity for us to show what we’re made of.
‘We’re ready.’
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