UPDATE 1-Baseball-'Journey just beginning': Japan's Sasaki signs with Dodgers

Recasts story with quotes from press conference

By Rory Carroll

LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Roki Sasaki said he looks forward to starting his Major League Baseball career in Los Angeles after signing a deal with the Dodgers on Wednesday that will see him team up with fellow Japanese players Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The hard-throwing 23-year-old international free agent agreed to a deal that included a $6.5 million signing bonus and will earn a rookie salary in his first season, the Athletic reported.

"Putting on this Dodgers uniform today I am reminded that my journey is just about to begin," Sasaki said at a introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium.

"And it makes me feel more focused than ever."

Sasaki joins the World Series champions after spending the last four seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball league.

The 6-foot-2-inch pitcher whose fastball can top 100 miles per hour went 30-15 with a 2.02 ERA in four seasons with the Marines.

The two-time NPB All-Star threw a perfect game in April 2022 where he struck out 19 batters including 13 in a row to set a record for consecutive strikeouts in a game.

He was part of the Japanese team that defeated the U.S. in the final of the World Baseball Classic in 2023 and said he was looking forward to playing with reigning NL MVP Ohtani and Yamamoto, who he called "exceptional players."

"I'm going towards making sure I can stand side by side with them," he said.

Sasaki beamed a big smile when he donned the Dodgers jersey for the first time, a look he punctuated with socks that had pictures of his black toy poodle.

Ohtani's dog Decoy became an obsession of Dodgers fans last season.

Sasaki previously announced his intention to sign with the Dodgers on Instagram and has been making the rounds in Los Angeles since.

He sat courtside at a Lakers basketball game in LA on Tuesday night, where he met LeBron James as well as Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, who is also from Japan.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

((Rory.Carroll@thomsonreuters.com; 503-830-8017;))