Sasaki said he prioritized joining a team that would embrace a Japanese player, but explained that there were other reasons that he ultimately chose the Dodgers.

Sasaki, nicknamed in Japan as "the Monster of the Reiwa Era," struck out 11 batters in 7 and ⅔ innings with a 3.52 ERA during the 2023 WBC. In Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he struck out 129 hitters in 111 regular-season innings for the Marines in the 2024 season.

Sasaki sure looks like a guy who always had his heart set on the bright lights of Los Angeles.

The Dodgers cemented their status as the preferred MLB destination for NPB stars and transformed their rotation into a Mount Rushmore of Japanese pitching luminaries by winning the Rōki Sasaki sweepstakes.

Japanese ace Roki Sasaki made his free-agent decision on Friday, agreeing to join the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers were long seen as the favorites for services of the 23-year-old pitching phenom,

Rōki Sasaki might be the best free agent still available for MLB. Here is everything to know about the Japanese superstar.

The mighty Dodgers, that Evil Empire on the West Coast, have struck again, signing Japanese phenom Rōki Sasaki.

Shohei Ohtani reportedly played a large role in starting pitcher Rōki Sasaki signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani was part of a contingent of

Along with Blake Snell – signed to a five-year, $182 million contract in December. And Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was posted one year ago after seven dominant seasons in Japan, signed a $325 million contract – and was the starting pitcher for four of the Dodgers’ 11 postseason wins.

The prized righty pitcher was one of the most sought-after international free agents in recent memory and picked the Dodgers over a considerable list of other suitors.

After going through the motions of traditional free agency, Japanese ace Rōki Sasaki, to the surprise of no one, ended up with the team everyone has expected him to sign with for years: the Los Angeles Dodgers.