Editor's Note: The story below originally ran in November, after Roki Sasaki's NPB team pledged to post the Japanese star pitcher. Sasaki announced Friday he was signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Japanese star Roki Sasaki signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced on Instagram. The 23-year-old right-hander with a sizzling fastball and deadly splitter joins Samurai Japan teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the World Series champion Dodgers.

Sasaki, nicknamed in Japan as "the Monster of the Reiwa Era," struck out 11 batters in 7 and ⅔ innings with a 3.52 ERA during the 2023 WBC. In Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he struck out 129 hitters in 111 regular-season innings for the Marines in the 2024 season.

The Dodgers cemented their status as the preferred MLB destination for NPB stars and transformed their rotation into a Mount Rushmore of Japanese pitching luminaries by winning the Rōki Sasaki sweepstakes.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' newest headline starting pitcher believes he chose the place that can maximize his talent the most. During an introductory

The mighty Dodgers, that Evil Empire on the West Coast, have struck again, signing Japanese phenom Rōki Sasaki.

Rōki Sasaki may have taken a pay cut in order to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The San Diego Padres were willing to offer Sasaki more than $10 million before he signed with the Dodgers for a ...

The list is led by 23-year-old phenom Rōki Sasaki after he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Jan. 22. Coming in behind Sasaki on the list are three outfielders (Roman Anthony, Walker Jenkins ...

They added Blake Snell and Rōki Sasaki, but they could add one more superstar before they begin their quest for back-to-back championships. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted the Dodgers would ...

coming to terms with an All-Star roster’s worth of talent — including Japanese phenom pitcher Rōki Sasaki and two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell. Members of the World Champion Los Angeles ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Roki Sasaki, which should've been predictable to those of us in the media. However, Sasaki and agent Joel Wolfe misled the vast majority of us, along with several ...

There was never a doubt that the Yankees — like everyone else in baseball — wanted Roki Sasaki. And if the Japanese right-hander ended up in The Bronx, that would have been just fine with ...