Roki Sasaki secured the victory for Shohei Ohtani with a blazing fastball and vowed to win another game to return to Los Angeles.

The 23-year-old Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who has been impressive in the bullpen lately, was given the responsibility to protect a two-run lead by pitching in the 9th inning.

Facing loud jeers from the home fans, Sasaki gave up a double but managed to strike out a batter, composedly handling the situation, completing the save smoothly, and recording his first career save in professional baseball.

Notably, during the top of the 9th inning, the Dodgers' bullpen was somewhat unprepared, causing a brief moment of confusion on the sidelines. Shohei Ohtani, who was in the batter’s box, noticed the situation and proactively called for a timeout to buy time for his younger teammate. "I was startled too, but since there was a runner on base, I used that time to gradually get ready," Sasaki recalled after the game, expressing special thanks for Ohtani’s timely support on the field.

When Sasaki entered, the first batter he faced was Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto. His first pitch was a 162 km/h fastball that missed the strike zone; then he threw two consecutive 160 km/h fastballs to overpower the hitter, forcing a foul ball, followed by a forkball that struck out the batter. Ohtani in the dugout enthusiastically signaled “strike.”

Next up was Max Kepler, who after two strikes from Sasaki, hit a double to right field, sparking a comeback attempt and electrifying the crowd. However, Sasaki remained composed, inducing a ground ball double play from Nick Castellanos with an outside low pitch, then ending the game by getting Bryson Stott to fly out foul at third base, successfully securing the save.

“Although leading by only two runs made it more tense than my last closing appearance, I was able to focus on challenging hitters within the strike zone, and the result was ideal,” Sasaki said after high-fiving teammates and receiving a hearty pat on the head from Ohtani.

Sasaki completed his relief stint with 11 pitches, 9 of which were strikes, including 4 pitches exceeding 100 mph, with the fastest reaching 101 mph (about 162.5 km/h).