The latest sterling Los Angeles Dodger officially arrived on Wednesday afternoon as the franchise formally introduced Roki Sasaki.
The 23-year-old right-hander’s fastball has touched 102 mph. His arrival in the United States was met with more anticipation than any international amateur since Shohei Ohtani in 2018 — now his teammate. The press conference allowed Sasaki his first public comments since his decision sent the baseball world into a frenzy and shed some light on the process that brought him to this point.
“Putting on this Dodgers uniform today, I am reminded that my journey is just about to begin, and it makes me feel more focused than ever,” Sasaki said through a translator after putting on the Dodgers’ uniform Wednesday.
Sasaki’s decision to sign with Los Angeles has brought with it consternation and wonder. His fit with the Dodgers was so seamless that frustrated executives throughout the sport privately wondered if it was predetermined (though Major League Baseball itself has already investigated the matter). Now, one of the most fascinating talents in the sport is no longer a mystery.
“I am fully aware that there are many different opinions out there, but now that I’ve decided to come here, I want to move forward with the belief that the decision I made is the best one,” Sasaki said.
The Monster of the Reiwa Era, as he was nicknamed in Japan, is here, smiling and donning his new uniform. That Los Angeles was able to land him on a minor-league deal and a mere $6.5 million signing bonus was reflective of the circumstances that brought him here. He chose to come early and sacrificed dollars doing so. His new teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto waited until he was 25 years old to come to MLB, and earned a record-setting $325 million in doing so as part of the rules regarding international free agents.
In his first year as a Dodger, Sasaki will earn the league minimum of $760,000 after classifying as an international amateur. Through four seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, Sasaki had a 2.02 ERA and wowed scouts with an electric fastball and devastating splitter, as pure an amalgamation of pitching potential as one could find.
When the Chiba Lotte Marines announced he would be posted and coming to the United States, Sasaki stated his aim of greatness rather than dollars. During his 45-day courtship with big-league clubs, he enlisted them on a homework assignment, asking them to explain how they could make him better
That process commenced in a boardroom at his agency’s offices just outside of UCLA’s campus. Sasaki had conversations with as many as eight clubs and took in-person tours with Toronto and San Diego before landing here, in a legendary ballpark under renovation during what the Dodgers have long hoped will be called “the golden era.”
Sasaki is the latest prize for the reigning World Series champions, who have already committed close to half a billion dollars in new guaranteed money in hopes of being the first repeat winners in a quarter century.
— This story will be updated.
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(Photo: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
