Roki Sasaki is expected to become the Dodgers' secret weapon in the bullpen and emerge as a new closer?

After recovering from injury, the Los Angeles Dodgers' "Reiwa Monster" Roki Sasaki returned to the major league mound as a reliever, injecting fresh energy into the recently struggling bullpen. Many media outlets in the US and Japan have started discussing whether he might take on a more significant role.

Today, Sasaki first retired a batter on a ground ball to third base, then struck out Cole Young with a 99.7 mph (approximately 160.5 km/h) fastball. Although Randy Arozarena followed with a double, facing the home run leader Cal Raleigh, who has hit 60 homers this season, Sasaki threw three signature forkballs in a row to strike him out decisively. The official Major League social media even described the sharpness of this forkball as "Nasty."

On Japan’s SPOTV NOW program, MLB analyst Aki Inose commented that Sasaki is likely to play a crucial role in the playoffs: "If he is used for short stints in the bullpen, he can completely dominate hitters with his 100 mph fastball and forkball. What remains to be seen is his workload; if he can maintain a pattern of pitching every other day, he could become a 'secret weapon.'"

Tsutomu Ito, former manager of Chiba Lotte and Seibu Lions, pointed out that current eighth-inning reliever Blake Treinen is showing concerning form, and Tanner Scott’s performance is also unstable—today he nearly lost the game with bases loaded. Ito boldly suggested: "Let Sasaki handle the eighth inning. He has a strong advantage in striking batters out. If Treinen can’t regain his form soon, Sasaki is definitely one of the suitable options."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts highly praised Sasaki’s performance after the game: "Roki was fantastic; the quality of his pitches did not drop at all." He emphasized: "After Arozarena hit the double, we got to see how he would respond, and he remained completely composed, pitching very well. His emotional stability is a great asset for the whole team."

Since returning from injury on the 24th, Sasaki has delivered impressive performances in two relief appearances, proving he can handle a bullpen role. The Dodgers have decided not to use him in the remaining two regular-season games, instead preserving him in top condition for his first career postseason, signaling that he has a place in the team’s October plans.

After the game, Fabian Ardaya from The Athletic bluntly stated: "The Dodgers should let Roki pitch the ninth inning." Although Sasaki lacks experience as a closer, his pitching so far has shown the potential to take on the role of a finisher.