Sawt Falasteen - Japanese star Sasaki announces joining LA Dodgers

Sasaki, 23, confirmed he would join up with compatriots and Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a brief statement on Instagram.

"I have signed a minor contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers," Sasaki wrote on Instagram beneath a photo of a Dodgers baseball cap hanging on a seat at Dodger Stadium.

The race to snag Sasaki had become one of the dominant sub-plots of the baseball off-season with a slew of clubs in the hunt for the Chiba Lotte Marines and Japan star.

The Dodgers, the reigning World Series champions, had long been considered front-runners to secure Sasaski's services, given their huge popularity in Japan due to the presence of superstar Ohtani and pitcher Yamamoto.

The New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays were all reported to have held meetings with the player and his managers.

US media reported this week that three clubs were left in the running to sign Sasaki -- the Dodgers, the Padres and Blue Jays.

"It was a very difficult decision but I will do my best to make it the right decision when I look back on my baseball career," Sasaki wrote on Instagram.

A livewire righthander, Sasaki has become renowned as one of the most talented pitchers in world baseball with a fastball that routinely clocks 100mph or more.

He has a 29-15 win-loss record in his professional career in Japan, and pitched a perfect game in April 2022 where he hurled a record 13 consecutive strikeouts.

He was also a key part of Japan's triumphant 2023 World Baseball Classic campaign, where Ohtani and Yamamoto were team-mates.

H.Nasr--SF-PST