Dodgers' $6M rookie flamethrower labeled greatest relief appearance of all-time in win vs. Phillies
The Los Angeles Dodgers made quick work of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, winning the series 3–1. The series ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Phillies, as Orion Kerkering threw a wild pitch to the backstop in extra innings, sealing their elimination. A major part of the Dodgers’ win was the dominant performance of rookie Roki Sasaki, who threw three shutout innings out of the bullpen.
“Roki Sasaki is the Dodgers bullpen. The man has retired 9 straight Phillies batters. All of the concerns the Dodgers had about their bullpen are being answered by this 23-year-old,” Dodgers Nation posted.
Sasaki was once thought to be a long shot, with the Dodgers originally hoping he would develop into a starter. But with just two weeks left in the regular season, Sasaki transitioned to the bullpen — a move that may have saved the Dodgers' postseason hopes.
“The first part of it was him giving himself the opportunity to agree to go to the 'pen. And then the next part is, he's got to perform," manager Dave Roberts said. "Tonight, he performed. He was really good. And let's see it again on Sunday. And then it kind of puts the onus on the organization to make a decision. In the postseason, there's no roles. They're all leverage."
Following Sasaki’s clutch performance on Thursday, Roberts had high praise for his emerging star.
“You’re talking about one of the great all-time appearances out of the ‘pen that I can remember. We're starting to see something really special in him,” Roberts told the media.
Sasaki has proven to be a blessing in disguise and has not folded under the pressure of his new role. His composure and effectiveness have solidified his place in the bullpen — and now, the Dodgers know exactly how to use him.
The Dodgers will now wait to face the winner of the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers series. If Los Angeles goes back-to-back and wins another championship, Roki Sasaki will be one of the biggest reasons why.
Sam Darnold has the Vikings second-guessing themselves right now when analyzing his start with the Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a heartbreaking loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is no rest for the weary, however, as now the Seahawks travel from the northwest portion of the country to the southeast to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But within that loss came a five-game sample size. And that sample size has proved to be the best stretch of Sam Darnold's career. Sure, it's early, and yes he only lost three games all of last season with the Minnesota Vikings.
But the numbers and the film show that Darnold is dealing like never before.
Sam Darnold is playing the best football of his career in Seattle
Right now Darnold has a higher completion percentage, quarterback rating, and yards per attempt in Seattle compared to Minnesota. But perhaps most impressive are some of the advanced numbers. Darnold's expected points added per play with the Seahawks is 0.117 points higher than with the Vikings.
He is literally 30 times more efficient throwing the Ball in Seattle than he was in Minnesota, where he was a bonified MVP candidate for most of the year in 2024. So why would the Vikings, who obviously knew what Darnold was capable of, decide to move on? I asked Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports Minnesota for some answers.
Why did the Vikings move off Sam Darnold?
"The discussion about whether it was smart or not to let Sam Darnold end up walking is one that will rage among Vikings fans for the next decade if he keeps playing like this. In theory, you don't let a quarterback like that walk, but it's not as simple as it was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield: the Vikings had a prized quarterback waiting."
"This team firmly believes that J.J. McCarthy is the guy and he hadn't done anything to tell them that he wouldn't be the guy. As things sit, the Vikings look like they made a poor decision, but it's only five games into the season, with McCarthy playing just two of those. It's not a surprise that Darnold is playing this well, but the Vikings believe McCarthy will get there quickly once he gets back onto the field." - Forness
Minnesotta was undoubtedly in a quandary. They, just like everyone else in the league, had no idea Darnold would play that well after revitalizing his career as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers. They had no clue J.J. McCarthy would miss his rookie season with a knee injury, thrusting Darnold into the lineup.
But I can promise you this, if the Vikings knew Darnold was going to play like this in Seattle, he would have never walked through tjose doors for the last time.
