Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki was able to experience his first day as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as he was introduced on Wednesday and put on the uniform of the current World Series champions. It was a day in which he left an impression of humility in every answer, at an event that he himself said marked the beginning of his adventure in Major League Baseball.
“Putting on this Dodgers uniform today reminds me that my journey is about to begin, and it makes me feel more focused than ever,” Roki Sasaki said through his interpreter, Will Ireton.
The greatest message of humility came when he acknowledged that it was an honor for him that MLB teams were interested in signing him, as he considers that at 23 years of age he had not won much in the Nippon Professional Baseball, where he pitched around 400 innings in which he was able to show off his fastball that exceeds 100 mph.
“I feel deeply honoured that so many teams have approached me with such enthusiasm, especially considering that I haven’t achieved much in Japan,” Sasaki said, while acknowledging that “it was an incredibly difficult decision to choose just one”.
Why did Sasaki choose the Dodgers?
Sasaki’s maturity and clarity of purpose led him to look for a team where he could develop his talent, be looked after in terms of injuries and, as a Japanese player, feel supported by the management and the environment. With Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the roster, it was clear that the latter requirement was guaranteed.
“I thought the Dodgers were at the top. What stood out the most was the stability of the front office,” Sasaki said when asked about the reason he chose the team.
The press conference at his presentation also had its funny moment, because like Ohtani, Sasaki has a dog, a black toy poodle, and for this special day he decided to wear socks with the face of a dog: “We share the same birthday.”
Sasaki will wear the number 11, because the 14 he wears for the Japan national team has already been retired by the Dodgers in honor of Gil Hodges, while the 17 he wore for the Chiba Lotte Marines belongs to Shohei Ohtani
“I’m really grateful that a veteran like Miguel Rojas is letting me wear the number 11,” Sasaki said, accepting that he will start thinking about how to reward him, although he might have an idea with what Ohtani did by giving a Porsche to Joe Kelly‘s wife when they gave him the number 17.
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