Roki Sasaki

Roki Sasaki, the "Monster of the Reiwa Era," is a right-handed fireballer who threw a perfect game in NPB at the age of 20 in April 2022 — the youngest to do so in Japanese professional baseball history. A first-round pick by the Lotte Marines in 2019 from Ofunato High School in Iwate Prefecture, he dominated NPB for five seasons with a career ERA of 1.85 and a fastball that touched 165km/h (102.5mph). His 2025 MLB debut was limited to 10 starts due to a shoulder injury, but his electric stuff showed it translates to the big leagues. Now fully healthy in 2026, Sasaki has earned a rotation spot and is the third pillar of the Dodgers' staff alongside Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

• 1Threw a perfect game on Apr 10, 2022 at age 20 — the youngest in NPB history. He retired 28 straight batters with 13 strikeouts in a performance that put him on the global radar overnight
• 2Posted a jaw-dropping NPB career ERA of 1.85 over five seasons, with a K/9 of 11.96. His final NPB season in 2024 was his best: 1.09 ERA and 174 strikeouts in just 23 starts before heading to L.A.
• 3His arsenal centers on a 165km/h (102.5mph) fastball paired with a sharp, diving forkball. That two-pitch combination — elite velocity and a plus-plus forkball — gives him elite strikeout upside at the MLB level
• 4An injury-shortened 2025 debut (10 starts) gave way to a fully healthy 2026 campaign. Sasaki is back in the Opening Day rotation and forms a formidable trio with Ohtani and Yamamoto
• 5Part of the 2023 WBC championship team with Japan. Now teammates with Shohei Ohtani at the MLB level in Los Angeles — the partnership that Japanese fans dreamed about since his Lotte days