Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman Doesn’t Hold Back On Roki Sasaki

Ahead of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, the Dodgers’ President of Baseball Ops, Andrew Friedman, appeared on the Tuesday edition of “The Jim Rome Show” and spoke about Sasaki accepting going from a starter to a reliever to have an impact on this playoff run.

“He went out to OKC [and] had a couple of rough starts,” Friedman said. “Stuff was down, command was off. And then, all of a sudden, it clicked. And we saw an outing, and we were like, ‘Oh my God, that’s 2023 stuff that he has right now.’ And so then it was like, ‘Okay, he can help us.’ But obviously, our starters were doing really well at the time, so we didn’t know whether it would be close or how exactly it would play out. But we knew he had experience playing in the playoffs, the World Baseball Classic, with the weight of a nation on his shoulders.

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“We knew he had been through some things. And so we sat down with him and said, ‘Hey, we view you as a starter long term, but for you to impact us and help us win a World Series in 2025, it would have to be out of the pen. And no, you’ve never done it. And so if you’re not comfortable, we totally understand. Don’t answer right now, sleep on it.’ Next day, he called. He said, ‘Hey, I’m all in.'”

Roki Sasaki Impresses In The Playoffs

Friedman didn’t just praise Sasaki for putting the team first; he highlighted a key moment in the playoff run when the pitcher showed real confidence, proving he was back to the form that made him one of the most sought-after pitchers coming out of Japan.

“My favorite [playoff moment] was during Game 4 of the Philly series when he did those three innings,” Friedman added. “And whenever the camera would pan to him in between his innings, he didn’t even take his glove off.

“He was just sitting there, rocking back and forth, just waiting to run back out there. It really speaks to the focus and just the mindset, and how he’s able to slow everything right now, which speaks to the confidence he has.”

The World Series begins on Friday at 5:00 PM, and the game will be aired on FOX, with Blake Snell starting for the Dodgers.