Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki says he wants to try the ‘American hamburger’ after signing with the Dodgers
Now that Japanese phenomenon Roki Sasaki has officially signed a contract with Los Angeles Dodgersis ready to enjoy American food.
“I haven’t tried any American burger, so I’m really looking forward to eating the best one,” Sasaki said through a translator during the interview with SportsNetLA.
Sasaki, 23, signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent, meaning he is under team control for six seasons. Sasaki also received a $6.5 million signing bonus.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) speaks during the opening press conference at Dodger Stadium. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)
With the signing bonus, Sasaki can try as many burgers as he wants.
Sasaki dominated Nippon professional baseball, posting a 2.10 ERA over four seasons with an incredible 505 strikeouts in 394 2/3 innings.
Sasaki was very desirable Major League Baseball after his bidding period began, but he chose the reigning World Series champions as his next team.
This is the second straight season the Dodgers have signed a free agent pitcher from Japan, as they handed Yoshinobu Yamamoto the largest guaranteed contract for a pitcher in MLB history last offseason.
Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract and delivered in the first year with a 7-2 record and 3.00 ERA over 18 regular-season starts and 90 innings.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) was photographed by the media during the opening press conference at Dodger Stadium. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Pictures)
If Sasaki had waited two years until he was 25, he could have hit the free agent market and signed an exorbitant contract like Yamamoto, but Sasaki wanted to play in the major leagues sooner.
Sasaki said that he plans to rely not only on Yamamoto, but also on his compatriot Shohei Ohtani as well as this season.
“There’s a lot of things I won’t know, so I’m going to rely on our coaches and players in terms of just getting to know the team. But also, we have Japanese players on the team, so I’m going to rely on them as well,” Sasaki said.
If Sasaki works out the way the Dodgers hope, they will have one of the best rotations in baseball.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) was photographed by the media during the opening press conference at Dodger Stadium. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Pictures)
Ohtani will return to the mound after not pitching last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers signed the two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell this off season.
Tyler Glasnow will return after his 2024 season ended early due to an elbow injury. Add Yamamoto and Sasaki to the mix, and that gives the Dodgers five starters with ace potential in their rotation, a rarity in baseball.
The Dodgers’ journey to try to become repeat World Series champions begins when they are pitted against each other Chicago Cubs in Japan in a two-game series on March 18 and 19.
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