Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Has Epic Response to Getting Heckled By Phillies Fans

Jason Fray|
Oct 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning during game two of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning during game two of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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The legend of Roki Sasaki has begun.

The 23-year-old flamethrower out of Japan may have had an usual route to this point, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have to be over-the-moon with how he's performed over the last few weeks.

Since rejoining the team in late September, Sasaki has looked like an entirely different pitcher from the one that struggled immensely at the beginning of the year. Likely a combination of revamping his mechanics, getting healthy, and garnering confidence, Sasaki has flashed the talent that had the entire fan base elated over his signing with the franchise in January.

Over his last five appearances, Sasaki hasn't given up a single earned run. In 4.1 innings pitched, he's given up only two hits while striking out seven. The fastball hovers around 100 mph routinely — something we didn't see earlier in the year when it sat in the 94-96 mph range. Additionally, the splitter (ask JT Realmuto) looks like one of the most lethal pitches in baseball.

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Manager Dave Roberts certainly threw Sasaki into the deep end on Monday. He entered a tense situation in which the Dodgers were nursing a one run lead. With the NL batting champion Trea Turner at the dish, Sasaki got him to meekly ground out to second to end the contest.

When asked about the raucous crowd in Philadelphia coupled with the accompanied heckling, Sasaki had a brilliant response in the postgame scrum.

"I don't understand English that well, so I don't know what they were saying, and I didn't mind it," he said in Japanese. "I've had similar experiences in Japan too, so I think I was able to pitch without worrying about that sort of thing."

Based on how the bullpen has performed, there's no doubt Sasaki is the best closing option at this given time. Whether Roberts wants to name him the closer publicly or not, the results (and Sasaki's stuff) speaks for itself.

More news: Dodgers Manager Reveals Why He Won't Name Roki Sasaki the Team's Closer

Having Sasaki entrenched into that role could enable Alex Vesia to regain comfortability as a setup option where he comes in to put out fires.

At the very least, it should give the team far more confidence knowing that Sasaki is there at the back end of the bullpen ready to close the door emphatically.

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Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

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