LOS ANGELES — The bullpen finally had its night, and it mattered. Ten outs to close a 3–1 win. Ten outs that felt like a group project finally turning in an A paper. Alex Vesia and Anthony Banda walked through it afterward, passing credit around like the game ball.
“It’s a good feeling to get outs and lock down the back half of the game,” Vesia said. “Tonight Glasnow was great. For myself it was one pitch at a time. Giving up the double wasn’t ideal. Blake comes in and continues the battle. Banda comes in, awesome. And then Roki comes in pumping 100. It was a good day for the boys.”
Banda loved how it flowed from one arm to the next. “We’ve been taking this series day by day and just contributing,” he said. “Everybody taking the baton, passing it on, and just doing their job. It’s exciting. We still got one more to go, then the big-time series comes, so we just got to come in tomorrow and get back to work.”
The October record speaks, but they kept it small. “I don’t know that we saw a run like this coming,” Vesia said of eight wins in nine. “When postseason rolls around, we all kind of lean on each other a little harder. The 162 is long. Things go our way, things don’t. It’s a breath of fresh air when October comes around.” Banda echoed the focus. “I’m not even thinking about that,” he said of the win total. “We’re taking it a game at a time. Everybody’s playing really good baseball.”
Confidence was not new, only visible. “I think the bullpen has had confidence,” Banda said. “Even with the rough stretches we all believe in each other. We’re getting on point at the right time. Everybody knows the job that needs to be done, so we’re just going out there executing pitches and passing it on to the next guy.” Vesia nodded to the whole staff. “Starting pitchers have been amazing,” he said. “Last year it was the bullpen dogs. The starters are the bread and butter right now. Watching them do their thing, I’m smiling ear to ear. We just got to keep playing one inning at a time, one out at a time.”
About those ten outs, Banda didn’t oversell it. “Every out’s huge,” he said. “Everybody in the bullpen understands we have each other’s back. Treat every out as important as the first one. Doesn’t matter who it is. Make your pitches and find a way to get the out. In the postseason every out is very important.” Vesia put the night in the simple bucket. “It was a good day for the boys,” he said again. “Keep stacking good games.”
Roki Sasaki’s late move to the ‘pen has changed the shape of the lane. “He understands it’s a different vibe and a different energy coming out of that bullpen,” Banda said. “He’s taking it on and it’s impressive. I’ve always said he’s a unicorn type guy. I’m grateful to have him on my team.” The scouting and prep have mattered, too. “It boils down to the information we get and executing that game plan,” Banda said. “What the scouting department’s doing, how it’s communicated, that plays the most important role. We just go out and execute.”
This group has been kicked around enough to know how a night like this lands. “It’s been a long season of ups and downs,” Vesia said. “We believe in each other. We have one more and we’ll continue to play Dodger baseball.” Banda took a second to appreciate the road he’s traveled. “That’s baseball,” he said of his own early-season struggles. “Everybody goes through rough stretches. I’m grateful to keep learning, to put it to work, to execute. Nothing’s owed to you in this business. To be here pitching and getting outs on the Dodgers, I just love being a Dodger.”
Were they bored while Snell and Yamamoto hogged the stage in Milwaukee. Banda laughed. “No,” he said. “It’s like, go do it, man. Carry us. Take us there. We’re all on the same ship trying to push forward to get to that World Series trophy.” Vesia kept it to the next assignment. “One pitch at a time,” he said. “One out at a time.” Tonight, ten of them. Exactly what they needed.
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