"Oh, they've been teaching him all the bad words, no question about it," Mesa said. "He learned it quick, too. That's the first thing you learn."

In the playoffs, Sasaki hasn't needed any of his new vocabulary. The way things are going, all he needs is a smile.

Jose Valentin lies in disgust after being forced out at second in the seventh inning.(AP)

After his second straight save in the American League Division Playoffs against the White Sox on Wednesday, Sasaki stood in front of his locker, tilted his head and closed his eyes as part of his answer to a question. No interpreter necessary. Yes, he has been sleeping well during his first playoff experience in the major leagues.

The gesture could have had a double meaning, though. Something like, "Go to sleep, White Sox," after a 5-2 victory for Seattle.

The Mariners have a 2-0 lead in the series, which moves to Seattle for a potentially decisive Game 3 on Friday, in large part because of their dominant bullpen and Chicago's slumbering heart of the order. Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Lee, the 3-4-5 hitters in the lineup, are a combined 2-for-22. Seattle's bullpen has thrown 10 shutout innings, capped by Sasaki striking out the side in the ninth inning Wednesday.

No team in baseball scored more runs during the regular season than the White Sox, and they had to have that trend continue in the playoffs. Their pitching staff is ailing and inexperienced in the playoffs, and it is showing.

Meanwhile, Sasaki, Mesa and Arthur Rhodes made their second straight appearances in relief, helping shut down Chicago.

"There are a lot of guys in the bullpen with a lot of talent and everyone is on a roll right now, pitching their best," Sasaki said. "That's why."

White Sox manager Jerry Manuel has some other theories.

"They've got some good, hard throwers out there and normally we match up pretty well against them," Manuel said. "But we appear to be out of our thing right now as far as hitting line drives and moving base runners and that type of thing. The top of the order has done a good job. It's just that the meat hasn't been able to get it done for us."

When Thomas comes to bat at Comiskey Park, fans chant "MVP!" A .353 hitter during the 1993 playoffs, Thomas hasn't fared as well during this year's playoffs. The fans might as well chant, "OUT!"

"The thing that we want to see instead of fly balls is line drives from Frank and the rest of the order," Manuel said. "We are just hitting too many easy, lazy fly balls right now."

Some of the attention might seem patronizing to Sasaki, who spent 10 seasons in Japan's Central League, where he posted records for career saves and saves in a season. Mesa, who played in two World Series with Cleveland, was asked if his experience could help Sasaki. Mesa reminded everyone that he doesn't speak Japanese, so it isn't easy to have a conversation. Their only communication, he said, is sharing a laugh.

"The man's a veteran," Mesa said. "He knows what to do when he's out there."

Sasaki has converted 29 of his 30 save opportunities since mid-June. He had a 1-4 record in May.

"I had surgery about a year ago, and so the way I trained was a little bit different," he said. "Since it's been a year, it's gotten stronger. So there's definitely improvement."

Mariners manager Lou Piniella sees it.

"He has all that experience closing in Japan, and it shows," Piniella said. "He's unflappable. His fastball's gotten better as the year has gone forward. He's got that good split-finger fastball. He likes being out there at the end."

Chicago looks like a team about to reflect on a terrific season that crashed in the playoffs. But the Mariners know something about the security of 2-0 leads in the playoffs, having come back from such a deficit to defeat the New York Yankees in 1995. But that series opened in New York with the Mariners playing the rest of the series at home. The White Sox have to hit the road.

And they have to hit Sasaki.