LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers asked a rookie to close it and Roki Sasaki answered with a quiet, perfect ninth. Three batters. Three outs. One slick assist from Mookie Betts. Afterward, Sasaki broke down why the ball came out so clean and how the past two days reset his footing.
“There was no physical problem,” he said of the recent dip in velocity. “My delivery had slipped in ways I did not notice. I went to the mound without recognizing that, and it affected my speed and my control. Throwing three innings last time was not the direct cause. Something was off, and from that appearance to today I talked with the pitching coaches, practiced, and made the adjustments. Today felt good.”
The fix was specific, not rah-rah. “In a short time you cannot rely only on a positive mindset,” he said. “If you do that it becomes overconfidence. I needed to face the technical part. The coaches pointed out the changes. I took that and worked every day until I was satisfied, then I went to the game.”
He described the tweak in simple terms. “Overall my movement had gotten too fast,” he said. “I focused on slowing down. From lifting my leg I tried to move more slowly and carefully than I thought I needed to. That was my only goal today, and it worked.”
This is still a new role for him, which made the bounce-back sweeter. “As a reliever I do not have much experience,” he said. “Last time was not good, so this was valuable. You cannot expect perfect performance every time. There are waves. In the middle of that you must think about how to get three outs. I gave them chances last time, so I reflected on that. I will adjust my delivery and prepare so I can control my pitches more each time.”
His routine in the bullpen is steady. “Until the later innings I try to stay relaxed and just watch the game,” he said. “I always hope they will call for me. When it is my time I lock in.”
The pressure of the ninth did not rattle him because the foundation felt right. “Mental things in games come from technique,” he said. “If you have something you trust technically, the mind does not shake as much. The important thing is whether you can face the technical part. I spent a lot of time on that in the minors and this year. Since I returned, I think I have been able to perform more steadily, and that is why.”
He felt the roar when he jogged in. “I heard the ‘Roki’ chants,” he said. “Since my Major League debut I had not pitched the way I wanted at Dodger Stadium, so I did not have a good image of this ballpark. After coming back as a reliever and being able to show my performance, the view is changing. I think that will carry to next year.”
The ninth also came with a highlight. Betts went deep into the hole and turned what looked like a sure hit into an out. Sasaki smiled. “Three outs are three outs,” he said. “You think only about how to get them. Tonight we did it together.”
He left no excuses for the next call. “I will keep adjusting my form,” he said. “I want to control my pitches a little more each time. The goal is the same. Go out, get three outs, and hand the ball back with a win.”
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