The Dodgers’ bullpen had been a nightmare this September, ranking 21st in the league with an ERA of 5.69. And on Tuesday against the D-backs, it had become more evident when they turned a comfortable 4-0 lead into a 5-4 loss. Dave Roberts had been trying to figure out a solution, and it appears he finally found one. It was the same arm that impressed the Dodgerland with those triple digits.

That arm? Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old rookie pitcher came back on the mound on Wednesday night after being on the 60-day IL because of right shoulder impingement. A few days ago, insiders had confirmed that Roberts would activate him and test him in relief. As MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported, “Roki Sasaki will be activated tomorrow. He will take a role in the bullpen and hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers since May 9th.”

On Wednesday, Sasaki took the mound. And did he perform? Oh, the hitters had no answers for his fastballs. His four-seamer reached 99.8 mph and even touched 100 mph. He dominated the seventh inning, retiring all three batters he faced while striking out two. It was a perfect “1-2-3 inning,” as MLB tweeted. The velocity spike that made him the talk of the town returned, along with the control that had scouts drooling during his brief early-season stint.

The Los Angeles Dodgers couldn’t have asked for better timing. With a 5-4 win on Wednesday, their magic number to win the NL West has now dropped to one. They are 2.5 games ahead of San Diego and have the critical head-to-head tiebreaker. Sasaki’s strong performance gives Roberts a possible weapon for October.

Especially when the manager has already made it clear what he wants. “Velocity, strike-throwing, the split that gets swing-and-miss, and just the ability emotionally to handle coming out of the ’pen and attacking guys … I feel he can do it, but it’s up to him to go out there and perform.” And Sasaki exactly did that.

This outing immediately addressed Dave Roberts’ concern that he expressed when Tanner Scott blew the lead on Tuesday. “At this time of season, you’ve got to put everything out there and trust that it’s going to be good. Because when you pitch behind and afraid to make a mistake, hang a breaking ball, that’s when bad things happen… And hitters can smell that.” 

In the same game, not only the rookie but also their veteran ace, who had returned as a reliever after 2019, played as per Dave Roberts’ plan.

From starter to reliever, Kershaw steps into the fire

Dave Roberts, who was worried due to the bullpen, got yet another solution, and it was none other than future HOF Clayton Kershaw. The manager used him in the bullpen in the ninth inning.

Interestingly, it was Clayton Kershaw’s idea after Tuesday’s collapse. In what will be his last season, he offered to work out of the bullpen for the first time since 2019. It was a shocking change of roles for someone who has been the team’s main starter for most of his career.

Kershaw noticed that the team needed help and stepped up without being asked. As Dave Robert said, “Yeah, he brought it to me, and I said, that’s a great idea. And he was comfortable, and we have a couple-day window in the regular season that wouldn’t impact his Sunday start. So I thought it was a good idea, and I supported it.” 

The plan worked perfectly on Wednesday night. Kershaw came in to pitch in the ninth inning of a tied game and battled through some problems. Tommy Edman’s incredible diving catch in center field was a big help. The left-handed pitcher only faced three batters, which kept the game tied and gave his team a chance to win in extra innings.

Now, with everything clicking for the Boys in Blue, and if they continue like that, can they win the World Series again?