MLB insider credits Dodgers ace for swaying Roki Sasaki’s decision

The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes ended on Friday as the flamethrower signed with reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a post shared on Instagram, the hurler shared his decision to sign with the NL West team.

On "MLB Tonight" for the MLB Network, insider Jon Morosi shared that ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto's influence was a huge factor in Sasaki's decision to choose the Dodgers.

"I was told in the last 24 hours that a really key conversation in the midst of the courtship of Sasaki came between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki," Morosi said (0:12 onwards)."

Morosi then recalled that Yamamoto signed the biggest contract for a pitcher in MLB history (not including Ohtani's) and said that the way that the Dodgers helped him acclimatize during his rookie season was one of the biggest factors in Sasaki's choice of destination.

"Let's not forget that Yamamoto broke the record for the largest contract ever given to a pitcher, and then he went on to help the Dodgers win the World Series in his rookie year.

"What I was told was the ability for Yamamoto to articulate the way in which the Dodgers helped him feel so comfortable in his first MLB season, was instrumental in Sasaki choosing the Dodgers."

NPB star Roki Sasaki wants to be "The Greatest Ever"

As a continuation of Jon Morosi's report on "MLB Tonight," the analyst shared that Roki Sasaki has one clear intention—to be the greatest ever Japanese pitcher in MLB history.

"From what I've been told, Sasaki's ambition is to be the greatest ever pitcher from Japan to come to Major League Baseball."

Dubbed as the Monster of Reiwa Era (a reference to the official name of the era under Emperor Naruhito), Roki Sasaki has put the baseball world on notice when he almost pitched consecutive perfect games in 2022. The 23-year-old currently holds the world baseball record for most consecutive strikeouts in a game with 13.

Sasaki was selected as the first overall pick in the 2019 NPB Draft but he wouldn't make his NPB debut until 2021 to preserve his arm. In four NPB seasons, the pitching sensation has a 29-15 record with a 2.10 ERA and a remarkable 505 strikeouts across 394 and 2/3 innings.