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[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Pitching Sensation Roki Sasaki to Join the Dodgers
The Dodgers are bolstering their pitching staff with the addition of fireballer Roki Sasaki, who was pursued by 20 MLB teams during the posting period.
Roki Sasaki is joining the Los Angeles Dodgers after a whirlwind stretch of weeks meeting with MLB team executives and contemplating his future.
The 23-year-old pitcher made his intentions known in an Instagram post on Friday, January 17, a decision instantly celebrated by Dodgers fans on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
In his message, Sasaki, who has more than 1 million followers on Instagram, posted a Dodgers hat next to his written announcement, giving it a promotional vibe. He informed the world that he's decided to sign a minor league contract with the Dodgers.
"It was a very difficult decision, but I will do my best," Sasaki wrote in Japanese. "I can feel this was a correct decision, once I look back on my life as a baseball player. At my news conference for joining the club, I hope to wear my Dodgers uniform, feeling gratitude for all those who have supported me."
MLB imposed a January 23 deadline for the two-time NPB All-Star to sign a contract during the 45-day posting period.
Roki Sasaki Ignited a Signing Frenzy
The Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays were the finalists in the spirited quest to sign Sasaki, who is classified as an international amateur under MLB's rules because he is under 25 years old. Therefore, he cannot sign a standard MLB contract yet.
Sasaki will receive a signing bonus of $6.5 million USD (¥1 billion JPY) when his contract with the Dodgers is finalized, according to The Athletic. He will also receive a six-year rookie contract.
Twenty MLB clubs submitted paperwork to highlight their desire to sign Sasaki, according to his agent Joel Wolfe, multiple media outlets reported.
Sasaki, who starred for NPB's Chiba Lotte Marines from 2021-24, brings his pitching talents to the defending World Series champions, whose pitching staff includes Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani signed a 10-year deal with the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season and Yamamoto inked a 12-year deal before the past season began.
Career Achievements for Roki Sasaki
Most notably, Roki Sasaki tossed a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes in April 2022, fanning 19 batters.
Sasaki had a 29-15 win-loss record in four NPB seasons with a 2.10 ERA. In 394⅔ innings, he struck out 505 batters. He walked only 88 batters and allowed 265 hits.
In 2024, "the Monster of the Reiwa Era" was 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts. He fanned 129 batters in 111 innings.
The Iwate Prefecture native has an explosive fastball that's been clocked exceeding 100 mph (161 kph). But durability has been the biggest concern for Sasaki, who made a career-high 20 starts in 2022 and was injury-prone during his time with the Marines.
That said, Sasaki's overall pitching talent is at the elite level, an international scouting director told MLB.com.
"In my opinion, he's a top-end starter," the international scouting director was quoted as saying by MLB.com. "I wouldn't say he's Ohtani, but from a pitching standpoint, it's very comparative. I've been seeing him since he was 19, and saw him on the national team. It's an explosive arm."
The View from Los Angeles
Dylan Hernandez, a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times, is convinced that Roki Sasaki is "the most talented pitcher Japan ever produced."
Reacting to Sasaki's announcement, Hernandez penned a column that included his thoughts on what may have been the biggest reason Sasaki chose the Dodgers.
"Being the most talented pitcher from his country doesn't mean Sasaki is the best, only that he has a chance to be the best," Hernandez wrote. "Sasaki is aware of that, and he presumably chose to sign with the Dodgers because he figured they could help him realize his declared ambition of becoming the best player in the world."
Wolfe, Sasaki's agent, also supported the view that his client places a premium on his development as a pitcher.
"I believe Roki is also very interested in pitching development and how a team is going to help him get better, both in the near future and over the course of his career," Wolfe told the Los Angeles Times.
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- [NPB NOTEBOOK] Back in Top Form, Roki Sasaki Leads Marines into PL Playoffs
- [ODDS and EVENS] Roki Sasaki's Perfect Game Provided Exciting Display of His Pitching Prowess
Teenager Morii Signs Minor League Deal with Oakland
The Oakland Athletics signed highly touted shortstop/pitcher Shotaro Morii to a minor league contract, which included a $1.5 million (nearly ¥234 million) signing bonus, the MLB team announced on Wednesday, January 15.
Morii, 18, starred for Tokyo Toho Junior and Senior High School before making the decision to pursue a pro baseball career in the United States, skipping the typical route of a Japanese player establishing himself as a Nippon Professional Baseball player.
Stanford University freshman slugger Rintaro Sasaki also opted to move to the United States to further his baseball career.
"It's a historic day for our organization," A's assistant general manager Dan Feinstein said, according to MLB.com. "Shotaro is our first and one of the very few Japanese high school players to sign directly with a Major League team. … We are anxious and excited to watch Shotaro both pitch and hit as he begins his ascent through our minor league system beginning this spring."
Morii, who bats left-handed and is a right-handed pitcher, is scheduled to report to Oakland's minor league spring training in Arizona in April. He is then set to play for the franchise's Arizona Complex League squad to begin his pro career.
"I wanted to join the professional baseball environment as soon as I can," Morii was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.
Talented and Passionate About Baseball
During his high school career, Morii smacked 45 home runs in three seasons. His love of baseball also caught the attention of Oakland's talent evaluators.
"He's a very talented baseball player with enough athleticism and mobility to play both shortstop and pitch," Feinstein told a news conference. "But beyond his physical ability, the thing that jumped out at us the most is his passion for the game and his unwavering desire to be one of the next great players from Japan."
Morii became a two-way player at age 8.
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Tennis
Nishikori, Osaka Eliminated at the Australian Open
Japan's most successful male and female singles players of the current era lost in the second and third round, respectively, at the Australian Open.
Kei Nishikori began the first Grand Slam tournament of 2025 with a spirited rally against Brazil's Thiago Monteiro. After dropping the first two sets, he rebounded and won the match in five sets on Sunday, January 12. It was Nishikori's first appearance in the tourney since 2021.
On Wednesday, Tommy Paul of the United States defeated unseeded Nishikori 6-7 (3-7), 6-0, 6-3, 6-1.
Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka retired after the opening set of her third-round encounter with Switzerland's Belinda Bencic due to an abdominal injury on Friday.
Bencic won the first set 7-6 (7-3).
To reach the third round, Osaka, ranked 51st in the world, began her Australian Open campaign with a first-round victory (6-3, 3-6, 6-3) over France's Caroline Garcia on Monday, January 13.
Two days later, Osaka ousted the Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Coping with an Injury
After her injury withdrawal on Friday, Osaka spoke about the challenges she faced coping with the injury in Melbourne.
"It was a little hectic trying to manage [the abdominal injury] because obviously my draw was quite tough," Osaka said, according to the WTA Tour website. "But we were also doing everything we could, like I was going to therapy every day and stuff like that into the night. So the days have been very long for me. Obviously after my last match, it got way worse. So credit to her for being such a good opponent."
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Volleyball
Turkish Mentor Appears Poised to Become Japan Women's Volleyball National Team's 1st Foreign Head Coach
Ferhat Akbas has emerged as the top choice to replace Masayoshi Manabe as the Japan women's volleyball national team head coach, according to published reports.
The coaching candidacy of Akbas, who is Turkish, is expected to be a topic of discussion at the Japan Volleyball Association's board of directors' meeting on March 24, Kyodo News reported on Thursday, January 16.
If appointed, Akbas would become the first foreign head coach of the Japan women's volleyball squad.
Akbas previously served as an assistant under former Japan women's head coach Kumi Nakada from 2017-18. After that, he was the Croatia women's national team head coach.
The 38-year-old is currently working as head coach of the Istanbul-based Eczacibasi Dynavit of the Turkish Women's Volleyball League.
Japan earned its last Olympic medal, a bronze, at the 2012 London Games.
Briefly…
Women's pro golf is only weeks away from starting again in Japan. The 2025 JLPGA Tour season is set to begin with the Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament from March 6-9 at the Ryukyu Golf Club in Okinawa. Chisato Iwai is the tourney's defending champion.
The men's Japan Golf Tour commences its 2025 season with the Token Homemate Cup at Token Tado Country Club Nagoya from April 10-13. Takumi Kanaya is the defending champion.
Quote of the Week
"We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the firefighters who continue to fight for us during the fires in LA. [And] we will donate $500,000 to help these firefighters, those who are forced to evacuate, and animals in need."
―Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani wrote on his Instagram page on January 17, announcing his support to help those impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.