On this night in December, Sasaki sat down for sushi with former Samurai Japan teammates Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It was after he had his initial meeting with the Dodgers and just at the beginning of the 23-year-old’s transition to Major League Baseball.

Roki Sasaki, MLB’s rising star, reveals how Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto played a pivotal role in his decision to join the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Los Angeles Dodgers have bolstered their pitching rotation with the addition of promising Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki.