SEATTLE – On a night that began as a bullpen game and very nearly unraveled as one, the Dodgers found something far more critical than win No. 91: a weapon they can trust when the stakes rise next month.
Yes, Los Angeles held on for a tense 3–2 win at T-Mobile Park on Friday night, with Tanner Scott dancing out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth for his first one-run save since July. Yes, they pieced together eight innings of one-run relief behind an opener in Emmet Sheehan. But when you zoom in on how this one turned, you see Roki Sasaki — throwing fire, stranding a runner, shutting down Seattle’s best shot in the seventh inning — and you start to see the postseason blueprint forming.
Sasaki, still just 23 and not even a year into his MLB career, came in with a two-run lead and helped the Dodgers keep their position. The crowd was on its feet, raining MVP chants down on Cal Raleigh, the Mariners’ 60-homer slugger. Sasaki? Cool as ever.
He touched 100 mph. He snapped off a splitter that disappeared. And he struck out Raleigh to end the threat, preserving the Dodgers’ slim 3–2 advantage.
It was his fourth relief appearance — but the first on just one day of rest. Sasaki looked as electric as ever, retiring three of the four batters he faced. And more importantly, he looked ready.
This was never going to be a conventional night. The Dodgers, still lining up arms for October, used Sheehan for just one inning — a three-strikeout, unearned-run frame that suggests his role may shift come playoff time. After that, it was bullpen roulette, and the wheel spun kindly:
Justin Wrobleski: 2 IP, 0 R, 3 Ks
Will Klein: 1.2 IP, 0 R, 1 K (and just two hits allowed in 18 batters faced since returning Sept. 19)
Anthony Banda: 1.1 IP, 0 R, 1 K
Roki Sasaki: 1 IP, 0 R, 1 K
Blake Treinen: 1 IP, 1 R (but a 10-pitch battle win against JP Crawford)
Tanner Scott: 1 IP, 0 R (with a deep breath)
The group combined for 8 innings of one-run ball. That’s how you win in October. That’s how you make bullpen days look like statement games.
And it helped that the offense delivered just enough. Kiké Hernández launched his 10th homer of the season — making him the 10th Dodger to reach double digits — and Dalton Rushing drove in his first career RBI as a first baseman. Shohei Ohtani swiped his 20th base, putting him in exclusive company yet again: only the sixth player in MLB history with 50+ homers and 20+ steals in a season, and the only one who’s also started five or more games on the mound. Twice.
But the headline, the pivot, the exclamation point — that belonged to Sasaki.
John Froschauer-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) throws against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
After a rocky start to his MLB career, the phenom from Japan has settled into something far more dependable. He’s been used cautiously, only now being tested on shorter rest. Friday showed he can handle it. That he can thrive in it.
The Dodgers, chasing back-to-back titles, don’t just need talent. They need moments. They need guys who won’t blink. They might have just found one more.
Saturday brings Game 161, with Tyler Glasnow on the mound for his final tune-up of the year. But Friday’s win, their 13th in the last 18, felt more like a postseason preview. If the Dodgers are going to dance deep into October, they’ll need arms that can handle chaos. Sasaki just walked into it, faced the music, and silenced a stadium. And it sounded a lot like October.