The Los Angeles Dodgers brand is a global force that didn’t just appear overnight. The groundwork was laid decades ago when they sent Tommy Lasorda, who was just a scout, overseas in 1965 to conduct clinics.
Walter O’Malley had a global vision for his beloved club and his son, Peter, continued developing it.
In 1995, the Dodgers signed right-handed pitcher Hideo Nomo, a five-time All-Star in Japan’s Pacific League. Nomo became the first player from a Japanese professional league to play in the Major Leagues since Masanori Murakami, a left-hander who pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 1964–65.
The recent signing of Roki Sasaki was the Dodgers’ third signing of a Japanese star in the last 13 months after spending $1.025 billion on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason.
The Chicago Cubs were reportedly one of the final eight teams in the Sasaki sweepstakes. They were hoping to persuade the 23-year-old to join them as they are set to open the 2025 season against the Dodgers in Japan.
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Unfortunately, they were left behind when Sasaki made his final decision.
“They have such a high profile in Japan,” Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said to USA Today. “When a player is going to make a decision based on equal economics, it’s going to be tough to compete for a Japanese player against the Dodgers for a long time.”
The Dodgers have established themselves as a key destination for Japanese players entering Major League Baseball. They now aim to make baseball history with their 2025 roster.
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Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
“No team has ever had multiple Japanese-born players with 4+ WAR (BRef WAR) in the same single season
“Will some combo of Ohtani, Sasaki and Yamamoto become the first such teammates?”
While the Dodgers attempt to chase down history, it’s also a credit to their storied history that they have been able to have one of the best offseasons baseball has ever seen.
As for Nomo, he didn’t just open doors for Sasaki, Ohtani, and Yamamoto. He helped Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Mastui, Yu Darvish, Kenta Maeda, Kazuhisa Ishii, Takashi Saito, and Hiroki Kuroda also leave their mark on MLB.
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Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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