Is Roki Sasaki the Dodgers' Closer? Dave Roberts Answers

Oct 1, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) throws a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth inning during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This was the Roki Sasaki everyone they'd see.

While it's been a tumultuous year for the 23-year-old flamethrower, things seem to finally be settling into place. The hype around Sasaki when he first signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers was immense.

Based on his pedigree and performance in the World Baseball Classic, many assumed Sasaki would walk right into the Dodgers' rotation and provide some elite pitching.

Rōki Sasaki, 100mph Fastball and 89mph Splitter/Fork, Individual Pitches + Overlay pic.twitter.com/aZbrwUDRth

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 2, 2025

More news: Dodgers Provide Kiké Hernandez Injury Update, Reveal Status for Game 2

However, Sasaki was troubled by health issues, confidence issues, and the reality that he's acclimating to a culture far different from the one he grew up in — not to mention moving across the Pacific Ocean to a brand new environment.

All of this resulted in Sasaki being on the shelf since early May. Very few believed he'd be an option for a postseason roster even when returning to action relatively recently in Triple-A.

However, based on what we've seen since he came back into the fold, the decision to utilize Sasaki seems like a wise one.

Manager Dave Roberts was bluntly asked if Sasaki had done enough to assume the role of the team's closer. While Roberts wouldn't go that far, he did speak poignantly about how much trust he has in the young pitcher.

"I trust him, and he's going to be pitching in leverage. So the more you pitch guys and play guys, you learn more. So, like I said about [Yoshi] Yamamoto, I don't think the moment's going to be too big for Roki."

Two batters, TWO STRIKEOUTS for Roki Sasaki 😤#Postseason pic.twitter.com/ffQUZBpPPi

— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2025

Sasaki made two regular season appearances once returning from injury — one outing versus the Arizona Diamondbacks and the other versus the Seattle Mariners. Both occurred on the road, and from the reality that he was coming out of the bullpen as a reliever.

He threw two perfect innings, allowing zero runs and zero hits while striking out four. On Wednesday evening, Sasaki was brought in to pitch the 9th inning of an 8-4 closeout game versus the Cincinnati Reds.

Sasaki made quick work of Spencer Steer and ex-Dodger Gavin Lux — striking out both with a devastating fastball-splitter combo. Austin Hays then weakly lined out to Mookie Betts to end the game.

With how shockingly good Sasaki has looked over his last three outings, coupled with the collective struggles of the 'pen, it won't be too surprising to see Roberts go to him in high-leverage situations from here on out.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.