Against all expectations, Dave Roberts turned to Blake Treinen instead of Roki Sasaki in the 9th inning of NLDS Game 2 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Sasaki wasn’t brought to the Dodgers to pitch in relief. Yet, he’s emerging as the most dominant playoff weapon. “The fun part about relieving is the opportunity to be able to contribute to the game, to the team every day,” Sasaki admitted the other day.

In the Dodgers’ 3-4 win, their offense did its job. They worked the Philadelphia pitchers into deep counts and moved runners along with good hitting. Scoring four runs put the team in a good spot for the bottom of the ninth inning. Emmet Sheehan gave two innings, and Roberts had all the options on the table for the ninth.

His choice? Blake Treinen. He faced three batters and gave up three hits and two runs. Next up, Roberts turned to Alex Vesia, who recorded two crucial outs while also allowing a hit. He laid the groundwork for Roki Sasaki to close it out.

It was only natural for all to question Roberts’ decision about not bringing Sasaki in the ninth, and after the game, he addressed it.

“I thought about it. He hasn’t gone two of three much at all. Just figuring the run right there, Blake’s pitched some of the biggest outs and innings in the postseason for us.”

“And I felt really confident right there. And with Vesia behind him, if needed. So I didn’t want to just, kind of, preemptively put him in there. Again, I felt good with who we had with a couple of our highest-leverage relievers,” Roberts added.

Given Treinen’s shaky outing, Roberts is unlikely to trust him in a key role again. On the other hand, when Sasaki got the ball, he kept his composure in that tense inning and got Trea Turner to ground out to second on his second pitch, earning the win and back-to-back saves.

Now, Trenien’s roster spot may be uncertain if the Dodgers make it to the NLCS. But for the time being, fans are livid over Roberts’ choice to go with Treinen in the ninth instead of Sasaki.

Dodgers fans can’t get over the choice to wait on Roki Sasaki

The Japanese phenom had a rough time adjusting in his first season in the US. After going through a rough patch, he also suffered a shoulder injury that landed him on the injured list in May. Throughout the rehab, he was unable to regain his previous form in the minors. However, since the Dodgers moved him to the bullpen, he’s been unleashing his triple-digit fastball.

Despite his stellar outings in the recent span, when Roberts picked Blake Treinen over Roki Sasaki in the ninth inning, it led to fans seething at his decision. “You literally have Roki Sasaki available and you choose to go to Blake Treinen? Dave Roberts can’t be serious. He can’t be right? This is a joke?” One fan frustratingly noted. It wasn’t the cleanest ninth inning for the Dodgers. Dave Roberts first had to go to Alex Vesia to bail out Blake Treinen after he gave up two runs and three hits. In the end, Roberts did what he should’ve done earlier, bringing in Roki Sasaki.

He entered the game at 4-3 with two Phillies players on base and promptly got out Trea Turner on two pitches for the ultimate win. That’s why another fan insisted Roberts give Sasaki something he really deserves after this game. “Dave Roberts owes Roki Sasaki a sushi dinner.” After all, it was a historic night for the 23-year-old. OptaStats brought it to light that ever since saves became official in 1969, Roki Sasaki is the only pitcher in the league to have his first 2 career saves come in the postseason.

Dodgers fans really couldn’t stand Roberts’ decision-making this time. “HEY DAVE ROBERTS! Please next time… JUST USE YOUR F——-G CLOSER! ROKI SASAKI IS YOUR F—–G CLOSER! HE’S RIGHT THERE! So we don’t need to deal with this drama anymore! Enough of these bull—- bullpen experiments where they never deliver.” In a crucial game of the NLDS, that too, against the Phillies, it was a risky day to experiment.

More fans insisted, which should now be obvious for Roberts. “I’m still shaking over that finish. If it wasn’t already abundantly clear… Roki Sasaki is the closer for the Dodgers.” From a statistical standpoint, in all of baseball, no one could be better for the Dodgers than Roki Sasaki when it comes to save situations. The rookie reliever has a stunning 0.00 ERA on five batters faced.

That’s why it was nearly baffling to believe Roberts didn’t go for Sasaki in the first place. “There has got to be a reason Dave Roberts didn’t go to Sasaki, right?? Don’t ask me what the reason would be but there HAS to be something.” It led fans to think there is something fishy behind his decision. It was only last Tuesday when Sasaki pitched a scoreless inning against the Reds during the Wild Card series. He again pitched another scoreless inning on Saturday in Philadelphia, when he recorded his first save in Game 1. So ultimately, Roberts’ decision didn’t add up for fans.

What do you think the reason might be, though?