LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers were three outs away from rolling onward in their title defense, but the ballpark atmosphere didn't quite reflect it. The mood was dampened after the team's bullpen arms labored through a shaky eighth inning for the second night in a row, sucking some of the air out of what had been a lively Dodger Stadium.
Then an infectious beat -- "Bailalo Rocky" -- blared over the speakers, punctuating Roki Sasaki's jog in from the bullpen. Just like that, the energy in the building changed.
The stage set, Sasaki put on a show. He touched a season-high 101.4 mph as he blazed through a 1-2-3 ninth inning, slamming the door as the Dodgers beat the Reds, 8-4, on Wednesday night, securing a two-game sweep in the NL Wild Card Series and punching their ticket to the Division Series, which begins Saturday in Philadelphia.
On 11 pitches, Sasaki sent down the top of the Reds' order on a pair of strikeouts and a lineout, sitting at 100 mph on his fastball. In just his fifth relief appearance as a professional, he met the moment and then some.
"Wow," Max Muncy said. "That’s really all you can say, is wow. That’s what we need right there.”
It was Sasaki's first appearance at home since April 26, and he looked like a markedly different pitcher than the one who last took the Dodger Stadium mound. Sasaki used a four-month stint on the injured list due to an impingement in his right shoulder to clean up his delivery and gain strength, and an uptick in velocity followed.
More so than the stuff, Sasaki's mentality is what has stood out to his teammates since he returned to the big league club in a relief role in the final week of the regular season.
Earlier in the year, Sasaki's growing pains were apparent as he posted a 4.72 ERA through eight starts. He was visibly emotional at times, including in his home debut, when he lasted only 1 2/3 innings on March 29. Six months later, Sasaki looks much more confident as he navigates an unfamiliar role.
"That's a guy who started the year as a starter," infielder Miguel Rojas said. "We all know the potential. But he's been looking so good out of the bullpen, and he wants the ball. That's what I want. I want a guy who comes in here in relief and wants the ball every single day."
In the Wild Card Series against Cincinnati, the eighth inning was a nightmare for the Dodgers in both games. Between the two nights, L.A. relievers threw 100 pitches (55 strikes) and allowed five earned runs on seven walks and four hits.
The late innings were no easier for the Dodgers to navigate in the regular season, as veteran arms whom the team expected to rely on in leverage spots -- including Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates -- struggled to hit their stride.
Bullpens are volatile by nature, but one round into the postseason, manager Dave Roberts is still figuring out who he can trust in save situations. It's a small sample for Sasaki, but might he be called upon to close out games going forward?
"He's going to get important outs for us," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "I don't know when."
Whenever Sasaki gets the ball on a given night, he's turned himself into one of the bullpen's top options.
"I trust him, and he's going to be pitching in leverage," Roberts said. "So the more you pitch guys and play guys, you learn more."