Shohei Ohtani’s historic season with the Los Angeles Dodgers gave them exactly what they wanted: a first-place finish in the NL West with an 89-69 record.  As doubts grow at Dodger Stadium, the talk about the World Series has taken an unexpected turn. Even though the team has put together a star-studded lineup around Ohtani, it’s hard to ignore their weaknesses. Their bullpen isn’t doing well; it is their sixth-worst season in Dodgers history, according to the LA Times, and injuries are a worry that could ruin what many thought was a sure thing for the championship just a few months ago.

Jeff Passan of ESPN made a shocking prediction that basically kicked the Dodgers off their expected throne: “The Seattle Mariners are going to win the World Series.” This bold statement means a lot more because the Mariners haven’t won a championship in 49 years, but Passan thinks they are better than Ohtani’s star-studded team. The Mariners transformed from a team that “had lost 15 of 21” three weeks ago into one with “a three-game cushion, plus the tiebreaker in the AL West” and possession of “a first-round bye.”

Passan emphasized their advantages over the Dodgers, noting Seattle’s “48-27” home record, “excellent front-line starting pitching,” and “the highest-scoring offense in the big leagues in September.” Most damaging to the Dodgers’ case, Passan argued the Mariners “have the ingredients to conquer a wide-open AL and hang with the star-studded rosters in the NL”—a direct challenge to Los Angeles’ superiority.

ESPN’s Alden González also showed the harsh truth behind the Dodgers’ facade, showing that the team was very unsure about whether they were good enough to win the championship. Some insiders still say “this group is deeper and more talented than the one that won it all last year,” González highlighted the glaring problem plaguing manager Dave Roberts: not knowing “who to turn to for the final three outs of a game on any given night.”

González said the bullpen situation had “gotten so bad” because so many important relievers were having problems. Tanner Scott was having trouble, Blake Treinen was having trouble, Michael Kopech was a mess, Kirby Yates was unreliable, and Brock Stewart was hurt. The crisis is so bad that “Roki Sasaki is really being considered for a high-leverage role”. González also talked about the “hairline fracture” that catcher Will Smith got at the end of “arguably his best offensive season.” This made their playoff armor even weaker when they really needed it to be strong.

The Dodgers have had to take risks with untested solutions because of the desperation González talked about. What looked like a last resort just a few days ago might now be their only hope. The show on Wednesday night showed that sometimes the most desperate actions lead to the most unexpected outcomes.

Sasaki steps up as Dodgers search for postseason solutions

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen crisis forced them to look for some creative solutions, and Wednesday night delivered a promising answer. Roki Sasaki announced his readiness for October’s high-stakes moments during Los Angeles’ dramatic 5-4, 11-inning victory over Arizona, striking out two batters in the seventh inning while his fastball touched 100 mph. The 23-year-old Japanese pitcher transformed months of injury rehabilitation into a statement performance that could reshape the Dodgers’ postseason strategy.

Manager Dave Roberts saw exactly what his struggling bullpen needed. “He looks like a different person. I think that we’ve simplified things as far as the bullpen. It’s an inning or two. I think there’s just a lot more confidence and conviction,” Roberts talked about what he saw after Sasaki won. The captain couldn’t hide how excited he was about how the young pitcher was doing, saying that “obviously, the stuff is up from where it was earlier this year.” This is a great time for the team to get better, since they just saw Tanner Scott blow a save 24 hours ago.

Clayton Kershaw’s perfect ninth inning in his first relief appearance of the season added another layer of mystery to the Dodgers’ postseason puzzle. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer, who plans to retire after this year, showed that he is willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship. Roberts really needs a steady presence, and his veteran leadership gives him that, along with Sasaki’s electric arm.

The Dodgers are now relying heavily on their Japanese core—Sasaki, Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto—because their championship base is falling apart in other places. The $6.5 million that the Chiba Lotte Marines gave to Sasaki now looks like a great deal that could save their season. The young pitcher is under the most pressure right now because proven veterans are failing around him. Can he deliver when the Dodgers need him most?