"I like the way Ichiro Suzuki thinks" - When Roki Sasaki revealed reasons for his admiration if Seattle Mariners Hall of Famer

Roki Sasaki has turned a lot of heads over the years. The hard-throwing righty has turned into one of the most dominant pitchers the NPB has ever seen, and now he makes his way to the United States.

It was announced on Thursday that Sasaki agreed to a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will now be teammates with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, which could be a big reason why he chose to sign with the Dodgers.

Like many Japanese baseball players, Sasaki admires what Ohtani has done so far. However, that is not the player that he admired the most. During a Japanese interview in 2022, Sasaki revealed the player that he looked up to the most was not even a pitcher.

"Well, for baseball players, I really admire Ichiro Suzuki," said Sasaki.

Sasaki revealed that he looked up to Ichiro Suzuki as a younger player. Outside of Shohei Ohtani, Suzuki is regarded as one of the most successful Japanese players ever to make their way to the MLB.

"I like the way he thinks and the numbers he put up over the course of his career are so impressive. So, I'm a big fan of his. And I also admire just how long of a career he's had," said Sasaki.

Roki Sasaki made it his goal to play in the MLB years ago

World Baseball Classic - Japan vs Mexico - Roki Sasaki (Photo via IMAGN)

Roki Sasaki did not just decide this offseason that he wanted to play in the MLB. This has been his goal for a couple of years, and now he can say he has done it.

"It's a very high level of competition, So I'm going to keep playing hard in Japan so I can live up to playing in MLB one day" said Sasaki.

Now, Sasaki joins what could be the best starting rotation the sport has ever seen. It is going to be tough for opposing batters to crack the armor of Blake Snell, Sasaki, Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow, and that's not all. They have a handful of other starters and Clayton Kershaw who is expected to re-sign.

With this elite starting rotation, there will not be as much pressure for Sasaki to be lights out. Fans will expect him to be great, but with the talent around him, he has time to get comfortable.