"Dude just took Tanner Scott's job" - Fans erupt as Roki Sasaki dazzles in first bullpen outing since May

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks - Source: Imagn
Roki Sasaki pitched a scoreless innings out of the bullpen for the Dodgers (Source: Imagn)

Roki Sasaki came out of the bullpen to relieve Blake Snell against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher made his first appearance on the mound since May, when he had to leave the MLB roster due to a right shoulder impingement.

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Roki Sasaki pitched 1.0 innings, going hitless and striking out two batters on just 13 pitches. Out of those, 8 were strikes, and he induced 3 whiffs on the Dbacks batters. His fastball averaged at 99 mph, much higher than the 96 mph he clocked during his first stint in the majors.

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Considering the Dodgers' bullpen which has squandered leads despite strong performances from their starters, fans quickly opined that Sasaki should take place of the arms that are out of form. Here are a few reactions:

"Dude just took Tanner Scott’s job," a fan said.
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"He is a breath of fresh air. Still holding my breath about Scott and Treinen. Roberts loves to put a guy with a bad outing back in," another fan said.
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"We got our bullpen ace!!!" another fan commented.
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"I neeeeeed Roki to clutch it in the playoffs. For my sanity with the bullpen and cause I just want him to be good," a fan opined.
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"Can’t wait to see more of him from the bullpen!" a fan exclaimed.
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"This was the Sasaki everyone wanted," a fan wrote.
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Before being placed on the Injured List, Sasaki had gone 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA in 35.1 innings pitched in eight starts. He had an extended stay with the Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City Comets, where he could manage only a 0-2 record with a high 6.10 ERA in five starts and two bullpen appearances, both of which came this weekend.

The 23-year-old was pushed into the bullpen role after Tanner Scott blew a save in the ninth inning against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, which the Dodgers lost 5-4. Blake Treinen has also been disappointing for the team, having taken the loss for the team in five of his last seven appearances.

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Dave Roberts ready to shuffle rotation and bullpen roles

The Dodgers will not need a six-man rotation if they are able to pass the National League Division Series. There have been talks of shifting Shohei Ohtani to the bullpen to help in high-leverage situations. Besides Sasaki, Clayton Kershaw also threw the ninth inning of the game on Wednesday. Ahead of the game, Roberts had opened up about their approach.

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"Just kind of where we’re at, we’ve got to get the best guys to get outs," Roberts said. "So if Clayton is viable, and he’s viable, then we’re gonna use him. That’s just kind of where we’re at. We’ve had almost six months to make decisions and see where things go. So there’s certainly time, and we’re gonna need certain guys.
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"But guys have got to do their job. You have to do your job. I can’t put it any more nice.”

The Dodgers are one day away from clinching the NL West again. They are 2.5 games above the San Diego Padres heading into Thursday's finale in Arizona. If San Diego loses to Milwaukee and Los Angeles gets the win, that would clinch the division for them with 3 games left.

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Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy
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