The Los Angeles Dodgers’ new Japanese star Roki Sasaki left fans shocked with a personal announcement Friday.
The 23-year-old pitching phenom, who signed with the reigning World Series champions last month, followed in fellow Japanese superstar and new teammate Shohei Ohtani’s footsteps this week.
Sasaki revealed that he’s off the market in more ways than one. After joining the Dodgers in free agency, Sasaki took to Instagram to announce that he has tied the knot with an ‘ordinary woman.’
‘Thank you for your continued support,’ the right-handed pitcher wrote alongside a photo of two Dodgers caps.
‘The other day, I registered my marriage with an ordinary woman,’ he continued.
‘I’m full of expectations and anxiety as this is a new start for both my work and private life.
Dodgers’ new Japanese star Roki Sasaki left fans shocked with a personal announcement
The 23-year-old pitching phenom revealed he had tied the knot in an Instagram post
Ssaki followed in the footsteps of Shohei Ohtani who revealed his own marriage last year
‘My husband and I will work together to do our best, so we hope you will watch over us warmly.’
It is currently unclear who the lucky lady is but many shared their support and congratulations for the happy couple, including Ohtani who left a like on the post.
However, others were left stunned at the statement with one fan claiming it was ‘bigger news than Yankees facial hair policy ending,’ which had been announced earlier on Friday.
It marks the second year in a row that a Japanese member of the Dodgers has made a surprise wedding reveal.
In February 2024, Ohtani revealed he had tied the knot, just two months after inking a $700million contract with the team.
Ohtani said that he was beginning not only ‘a new chapter in my career but I also began a new life with someone from my native country of Japan who is very special to me and I wanted everyone to know I am now married.’
He also initially chose to keep the identity of his new bride a mystery, including a picture of his dog in the post instead of his wife.
However, he announced the following month that he was married to Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka.
Tanaka played for Waseeda University and Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League.
Sasakim who was one of the top free agents on the market, signed with LA last month
Sasaki was one of the top free agents on the market this offseason – outside of Juan Soto, who signed with the New York Mets – and there had been intense competition for his signature.
The finalists were believed to be the Dodgers, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the San Diego Padres. Other teams, like the Mets, the Chicago Cubs , the Texas Rangers , the San Francisco Giants , and the New York Yankees showed interest in Sasaki but were not among the final teams vying for his services.
Sasaki became the third major Japanese baseball star to sign with the Dodgers in the past two seasons. He joined fellow pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and two-way National League MVP Ohtani.
The addition of Sasaki added to the Dodgers ultra-powered potential starting rotation which includes the arms of Ohtani, Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, and Bobby Miller.