Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Receives Bold Prediction on Rest of Postseason

Oct 9, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) reacts after the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during game four of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel believes Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki will be one of three pitchers to keep opponents scoreless throughout the Championship Series and Division Series in October.

Sasaki has had an electric comeback since returning from injury Sept. 24, not allowing a run in any of his six appearances since. Sasaki had a slow start in MLB, posting a 4.72 ERA through his first eight starts, but looks like an entirely new player coming out of the bullpen.

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The 23-year-old came out in relief twice for the Dodgers in the regular season, throwing two scoreless innings. He has entered a high-leverage role in the postseason, recording his first two MLB saves against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS.

He capped off the NLDS with three perfect innings in a tied game, allowing the Dodgers to find their offense and advance passed the Phillies for their third NLCS appearance in five years.

McDaniel says that Sasaki, along with Seattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz and Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, will only post goose eggs on the scoreboard during October.

"This trio -- two relief aces and a starter-turned-closer for the playoffs -- won't give up an earned run in either the LDS or LCS," wrote McDaniel. "Munoz and Duran were two of the top relievers in the sport this year, and Sasaki started looking like one in the past couple of weeks, which my colleague Jeff Passan broke down in his dive into how the Dodgers fixed their flamethrower."

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The Dodgers eliminated Duran and the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS, though the closer didn't allow a run through 3.2 innings pitched in the series. Munoz is also yet to give up a run, keeping opponents scoreless through four innings this postseason, as he heads into a Game 5 ALDS matchup against the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

Sasaki has shown plenty of promise out of the bullpen, and is clearly the Dodgers' go to reliever in high-leverage for the remainder of the postseason given his performances so far. The Dodgers will look to further utilize their young star in the NLCS, in which the Dodgers will face either the Milwaukee Brewers or Chicago Cubs on Monday.

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