Roki Sasaki was shown Tuesday night on the Crypto.com Arena video screen during the first half of the Lakers’ game against the Washington Wizards.
The crowd went nuts, giving the 23-year-old Japanese pitching phenom a louder and more enthusiastic response than many celebrities receive while attending Lakers games.
Sasaki should probably get used to such treatment from L.A. sports fans after agreeing to sign with the Dodgers last week.
Sasaki is a hard-throwing right hander who compiled a 2.10 earned-run average during his four seasons as a pro in Japan. While he may not have been familiar to many U.S. sports fans just a few short months ago, Sasaki became a household name — and a coveted free agent — during the MLB offseason.
After being posted last month by his Nippon Professional Baseball league club, the Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki effectively became eligible to sign with an MLB team when the international signing period opened Jan. 15. Two days later, Sasaki revealed via Instagram he had chosen the Dodgers.
Read more: ‘They all wanted him here.’ How Shohei Ohtani, other Dodgers helped recruit Roki Sasaki
Because Sasaki is under 25, MLB international signing rules limited him to taking a minor-league contract. He will receive a $6.5-million signing bonus and remain under team control for six years. He will be officially introduced by the team Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
One night earlier, Sasaki was seated on the Lakers bench during pregame warmups, when he was greeted by one of the biggest names in sports.
“Welcome to the city,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said after initiating a courtside handshake with Sasaki. “Good to see you.”
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura — who was born in Toyama, Japan, and attended high school in Sendai — also made it a point to connect with Sasaki before the game. The two athletes shared an exchange in Japanese, and Hachimura showed Sasaki how to make the “L.A. fingers” sign as they posed for photos.
Hachimura received the name Rui — which means “base” in Japanese — from his baseball-loving grandfather. Before choosing basketball as his primary sport in high school, Hachimura also was obsessed with baseball as a child. He grew up idolizing soon-to-be Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, has named Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani as an inspiration and was thrilled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Japanese Heritage Day at Dodger Stadium in July 2023.
Read more: Lakers’ Rui Hachimura enjoying baseball dreams through Shohei Ohtani and Dodgers
Ohtani has attended multiple Lakers games this season, as have fellow 2024 World Series champions Mookie Betts and Jack Flaherty. A number of Dodgers players brought the Commissioner’s Trophy to Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 8 and were honored during the Lakers’ 116-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Sasaki seemed to enjoy himself as the latest Dodgers player to visit the Lakers home court. He was given a Lakers jersey with his name and No. 11 (rumored to be the number he will wear with the Dodgers) and also was seen shaking hands with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
“Today I’m here to watch my first Laker game,” Sasaki said in Japanese in a video posted by the Lakers. “I’m looking forward to it.”
He added in English: “Go Lakers!”
Yep, he should fit in just fine in L.A.
Read more: Ichiro Suzuki becomes first Japanese player to make Hall of Fame. Shohei Ohtani on track to be next
Times staff writer Dan Woike contributed to this report.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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