Freddie Freeman reveals how Shohei Ohtani helped Dodgers land Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki

Freddie Freeman was integral to the Los Angeles Dodgers' success last year, which culminated in the NL West team winning the World Series against the New York Yankees in October.

While the reigning World Series MVP came in clutch for the team in the Fall Classic, it was his Dodgers teammate Shohei Ohtani, who grabbed the limelight with a historic 50-50 milestone during the regular season.

Ohtani was rewarded with a third MVP title, his first in the National League, after his remarkable first year with the Dodgers. However, the Japanese superstar's impact has not been limited to the diamond.

His teammate Freddie Freeman revealed Ohtani's role in the Dodgers acquiring Roki Sasaki in the offseason in a conversation with "Foul Territory." Freeman shared that Ohtani brought his Decoy to the meetings with the Japanese hurler in the offseason as Sasaki is fond of dogs.

“Mookie [Betts], me, Tommy Edman, Will Smith and Shohei were the guys that were there,” Freddie Freeman said. “And Shohei was with him the whole time. Shohei brought his dog because Roki likes dogs too… We knew what we were doing.”

The Dodgers won the race for Roki Sasaki, fending off competition from rivals the San Diego Padres among several other MLB teams.

Roki Sasaki impresses Dodgers manager Dave Roberts with his pitching arsenal

Roki Sasaki joins Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the Dodgers rotation and there is an air of expectation from the ace, given his reputation in the NPB despite his young age.

He pitched three scoreless innings in his first start for the Dodgers in spring and his splitter has already caught the eye of his manager, Dave Roberts, during his Spring Training action.

"He throws it hard. It looks like a fastball," ave Roberts said after Sasaki's game against the Reds last week. "Some break straight down, some go to the left. Some go to the right. It’s tough to square it up, because you just don’t know what it’s going to do."

The Dodgers are trying to get Roki Sasaki familiar with MLB hitters and are expected to send him to the mound for regular season action during the team's Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs later this month.

Sasaki is likely going to be part of a five-man rotation for the Dodgers, led by two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani (when he returns).