The Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to the World Series thanks to closer Roki Sasaki sealing the deal. It is a good thing because had things been different, Sasaki would have led the Blue Jays to the World Series.
As the Dodgers prepare to face the Blue Jays in the Fall Classic, Sasaki recently said that he was “definitely” close to signing with Toronto, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic.
Essentially, Sasaki was “strongly considering” the Blue Jays, but in January Sasaki signed with the Dodgers. Prior to that, Sasaki had played for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball in his native Japan.
“It's actually really hard to express why I eventually chose the Dodgers” he said. During the season, Sasaki finished with a record of 1-1 with a 4.46 ERA and 28 strikeouts. In the postseason, he pitched in seven games and has three saves.
Against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, Sasaki made history by becoming the first closer to achieve a save in his first three playoff starts. It was in 1969 that baseball began to record saves.
Now the Dodgers are looking to repeat as World Series champions. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are looking to win their first title since 1993.
Roki Sasaki is part of an exceptional trifecta among the Dodgers
Sasaki is part of a Dodgers organization that includes two fellow Japanese superstars. They are Shohei Othani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Each of whom made a name for themselves while playing in Japan and have continued that run of excellence into MLB.
Obviously, Ohtani is a generational talent for his dual threat as a dynamite pitcher and powerful hitter. Meanwhile, Yamamoto has emerged as one of the staff aces who is slated to start Game 2 of the World Series.
All of which can help the Dodgers down the path to back-to-back championships.
