Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Roki Sasaki aims to be the first Japanese pitcher to win Cy Young Award

Sasaki was introduced this week by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will start the season as a starter.

Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Roki Sasaki, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new addition for the 2025 season, arrives in Major League Baseball (MLB) with high expectations and an ambitious goal. In his introduction, Sasaki shared that his objective is to become the first Japanese pitcher to win a Cy Young Award.

The 23-year-old signed a minor league contract last Friday with a signing bonus of $6.5 million. He will join fellow countrymen Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers, whose rotation also includes Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, among others.

“It wasn’t a priority for me whether or not a team had a Japanese player, as I was considering all teams,” Sasaki said, according to SportsNet LA. “Being able to play with Ohtani and Yamamoto – both exceptional players – I’m really looking forward to playing with them, but not just them, but the entire team, which is incredibly talented.”

Together, the trio helped Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Sasaki also acknowledged that the defending champions had an edge in his signing due to the stability of their front office, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.

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The Dodgers plan to use Sasaki as a starting pitcher at the beginning of the season and will monitor his recovery between starts.

The San Diego Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays were the other teams close to signing Sasaki. His agent, Joel Wolfe, said that up to 20 MLB teams showed interest in him at the start of the offseason.

“I don’t think Los Angeles was always the destination,” Wolfe said on Wednesday. “I think the Dodgers have an advantage of playing at home in Japan. But when he came here, he had a very open mind.”

Wolfe added, “When they left Toronto, I felt like he could easily go to Toronto. When we left San Diego, I felt like he could easily choose San Diego. And when he came here, I really thought the whole process was a coin flip.”

Sasaki posted a 2.02 ERA and 524 strikeouts in 414.2 innings over four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Roki Sasaki

The Playoffs News Team