In a dramatic start to the NLDS, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, courtesy of rookie Roki Sasaki achieving his first MLB save. After missing more than four months with a right shoulder impingement, the Japanese rookie returned to Los Angeles in late September as a bullpen arm and quickly became a game-changer in the postseason.

The Phillies struck early, taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run triple into right-center field, after which Harrison Bader hit a sacrifice fly. Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani, starting in the playoffs for the first time, stumbled early but got his act together, going six innings, allowing three runs on three hits, fanning nine, and walking one.

Los Angeles began their comeback in the sixth inning when Kike Hernandez smacked a two-run double down the left-field line, cutting Philadelphia’s lead to 3-2. The momentum swung definitively in the seventh as Teoscar Hernandez launched a three-run homer off Matt Strahm, giving the Dodgers a 5-3 lead.

Los Angeles turned to their bullpen to close out the game, deploying Tyler Glasnow and Alex Vesia before handing the ball to Sasaki in the ninth. Glasnow, making his first relief appearance since 2018, recorded two outs in the seventh and ran into trouble in the eighth, leaving the bases loaded with two outs. Vesia relieved him and induced a crucial flyout from pinch-hitter Edmundo Sosa to escape the inning.

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Sasaki entered the game in the bottom of the ninth. He struck out J.T. Realmuto looking, allowed a one-out double to Max Kepler, and then retired Nick Castellanos on a groundout and Bryson Stott on a popout to secure the save. In 11 offerings, Sasaki hit triple digits on his fastball four times, finishing with one strikeout, one hit allowed, and no walks.

The save was the icing on the cake for the 23-year-old’s meteoric rise, who signed with the Dodgers in January on a minor league deal with a $6.5 million signing bonus. Sasaki hit a few bumps in the road during his early MLB outings, including his March debut in Tokyo and his first Dodger Stadium appearance, where control issues were on full display. Since returning from injury on September 24, he has transitioned from starting to relief, swiftly landing a role in the postseason rotation.

The Dodgers now lead the NLDS 1-0. They will have a rest day on Sunday before Game 2 on Monday at 3:08 p.m. PT, with Blake Snell earmarked to start, who allowed just two runs and struck out nine over seven innings in the Wild Card opener against the Cincinnati Reds.