Roki Sasaki joins the Dodgers, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto playing a "key" role in bringing the star Japanese pitcher to LA's stacked roster.

For some teams in Major League Baseball, the chase for Roki Sasaki could not be measured in mere months. It lasted for years. One of those teams, the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, concluded that pursuit on Friday night by landing the star pitcher from Japan.

The 23-year-old Japanese phenom has a fastball that regularly reaches triple digits and wowed MLB scouts at the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

Prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki says in an Instagram post he intends to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers

Rōki Sasaki, the 23-year-old phenom from Japan whose services for the next six seasons could be procured by every Major League Baseball franchise for the equivalent of a rounding error, ended his six-week recruiting period by agreeing to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday,