Overlooked Roki Sasaki decision will loom large in Blue Jays-Dodgers World Series showdown

The Toronto Blue Jays narrowly missed out on Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki this past offseason. Saski ended up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and many of the Blue Jays fans took it in stride. That was because the same Blue Jays also missed out on signing top free agent and Japanese star Shohei Ohtani the offseason just prior to that, so losing out on Sasaki didn’t feel as big of a sting as it should have been.

However, now that Toronto will be playing the Dodgers in the 2025 World Series, that overlooked decision by Sasaki could loom large whenever he takes the mound against the Blue Jays.

Overlooked Roki Sasaki decision will loom large in Blue Jays-Dodgers World Series showdown

After all, didn’t the young 23-year-old right-hander struggle for much of the 2025 MLB regular season? In 10 appearances, Sasaki posted just a modest 1-1 record with a 4.46 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. Moreover, he had some trouble with his command, leading to a whopping 22 walks in just 36 1/3 innings pitched. Not only that, Sasaki ended up missing the bulk of the 2025 season due to a right shoulder impingement.

However, the young Japanese sensation has been a revelation as a reliever for the Dodgers so far this postseason. In fact, he had been given the high-leverage closer’s role and has ran away with it.

Sasaki has compiled three saves, one hold, together with a stellar 1.13 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, while giving up just one earned run with six strikeouts in eight innings of work over seven playoff games. For a Dodgers bullpen that had struggled down the stretch heading into the postseason, Sasaki has become the surprise addition that stabilized the back end of their relief corps for the MLB Playoffs.

That kind of elite performance can spell major trouble for the Blue Jays. With the Dodgers owning one of the top pitching staffs so far this postseason, there’s no doubt the games played in the series will likely be close.

As a result, it means the chances of seeing Sasaki pitching for Los Angeles will be drastically increased, which could play a huge role in stopping the Blue Jays from winning the elusive World Series championship. 

So losing out on Ohtani first and Sasaki second may have hurt Toronto and their faithful a bit. But to lose potentially to the Dodgers at the hands of both Japanese sensations would be the trifecta that Blue Jays fans might never get over.