The Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers will begin the NLCS tomorrow (14th). Brewers skipper Pat Murphy humorously remarked before the game that competing against the Dodgers' "Japanese Big Three" is extremely unfair, and playfully suggested he might petition the league to suspend Roki Sasaki.
The 23-year-old "Reiwa Demon King" Roki Sasaki has been outstanding in the playoffs, pitching three scoreless innings in relief during Game 4 of the NL Division Series, helping the Dodgers advance to the NLCS as a key bullpen asset. Murphy marveled at the young fireballer, saying, "Who else can throw a 100 mph fastball and a forkball?" When told it was Sasaki, Murphy laughed, "That's just unfair. I need to check if I can get him suspended by the league."
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also confirmed in an interview today that Roki Sasaki is ready and could pitch in consecutive games during the NLCS if needed.
Speaking about Shohei Ohtani, Murphy praised him as one of the greatest players ever: "I don't know how many years he's been playing, but he's definitely a historic figure." He further complimented Ohtani's forkball: "Last time we faced him, his forkball would drop from the edge of the strike zone straight to the bottom—that was pure art, almost impossible to hit."
Additionally, Murphy singled out Dodgers starters Blake Snell for Game 1, Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Game 2, and Tyler Glasnow, saying they all have top-tier skills and form a very strong starting rotation.