LOS ANGELES — Roki Sasaki’s first October in Dodger blue ended with three perfect innings and a long hug from his manager. “I felt relieved,” he said of the embrace. “I was glad I got through the three innings scoreless.” Then he opened up to both English and Japanese media about how he got here, and why this one felt different.
“The energy is different from the regular season in both Japan and America,” he said. “Because I had a good experience in Philadelphia first, I could come in today without getting too nervous and go about things the way I always do.” He kept the plan simple. “My fastball strength, speed, and control came back to a good place,” he said. “That let me attack the zone, and it made my breaking balls play up more. I felt like I could compete in the zone because the fastball was where it needed to be.”
To the Japanese press, Sasaki put the night in a bigger frame. “In Japan, a league title is valued most,” he said. “In America, the postseason and the World Series are prioritized. I felt that difference. I didn’t contribute much in the regular season, so I wanted to help the team in the games that remained. In that sense, even if it’s just a little, I’m glad I could contribute now.” He smiled at the quiet arc of his year. “I’m grateful to be healthy and to perform,” he said. “I’m happy I’m gradually able to pitch like myself.”
He talked through the call and the timing. “Before the game they said I might have multiple innings,” he said. “I figured it could start in the eighth, so I watched the game and began my routine. Then the score tied quickly and they told me. The preparation time was shorter than usual, but I flipped the switch and attacked.” Between frames he stayed narrow. “Physically I felt good and not tired,” he said. “I was only thinking about the next hitters and how to attack them.”
The fixes began months earlier and far from the lights. “During rehab in Arizona I spoke with a pitching coach,” he said. “We talked about my delivery and where the problems were. What he said matched what I was feeling. The approach to fixing it was separate, but we agreed on the causes.” He carried those notes into lonely work. “In the hotel I watched video of myself from the high school days and from Chiba Lotte,” he said. “I shadow-pitched in the room. When I think back on this path, I’ll remember that hotel scene as the moment something clicked.”
Confidence followed feel. “With each outing the nervousness has decreased,” he said. “I’m pitching with good nerves now. I’m not ‘in the zone’ in some special way. I just have something technical I can trust. That calms my mind and lets me perform.”
The performance spoke loud enough that Dave Roberts met him on the grass after the tenth. “I felt relieved that each inning stayed clean,” Sasaki said. “Getting through those three innings the way we planned was a relief.” The postgame celebration added its own small marker. “In the champagne fight the manager toasted, ‘Kanpai to Roki,’” he said. “Because I couldn’t do much in the season, I wanted to help even a little now. I’m starting to feel like I can truly be a piece for this team, and that feels good.”
He kept circling back to the fastball as the anchor. “My fastball is strong and in command again, so I can win in the zone,” he said. “Then the breaking balls come to life.” And he made it clear the moment wasn’t too big. “Dodger Stadium was amazing,” he said. “But having pitched in Philadelphia earlier helped. I could enter the game the way I usually do.”
Sasaki didn’t dress it up. He didn’t need to. “I was relieved,” he said. “I’m glad I could put up those innings and help us win.”
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