The Dodgers' new postseason bullpen duo made their debut as Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw helped secure a win in extra innings.

The Los Angeles Dodgers introduced their revamped postseason bullpen plan in the match against the Diamondbacks on September 25th Beijing time. Newly returned from injury rookie phenom Roki Sasaki and veteran legend Clayton Kershaw, nearing retirement, both pitched relief innings without allowing runs, jointly leading the team to a 5-4 victory in extra innings. This "young and old" pairing could become a crucial weapon for the Dodgers’ title defense in October.

After spending over four months on the injured list, Roki Sasaki made his major league relief debut. He appeared in the seventh inning, throwing near 100 mph fastballs and striking out two batters. Manager Dave Roberts was highly impressed, saying, “He looks like a different player. I think moving to the bullpen simplified things for him, boosting his confidence and belief, and his velocity is clearly stronger than earlier this year.”

After starting 21 games, 37-year-old Kershaw made his first relief appearance of the season. He pitched a clean ninth inning, retiring all three batters and sending the game into extra innings. Reflecting on his new role, Kershaw said, “It definitely gets the adrenaline pumping; relief pitching is a whole different challenge. You have to find a way to keep your heart rate steady and get into the zone, but it’s fun, and succeeding is even better.”

Regarding entrusting the pressure to the soon-to-retire legend, Roberts expressed full confidence: “At this point, you’re betting on the ‘person.’ For me, I trust Kershaw, and he was outstanding tonight.” After relief pitcher Tanner Scott faltered the previous day, the Dodgers clearly hope that Kershaw’s experience combined with Sasaki’s power will form a stable force in the postseason bullpen.