Sasaki, a 23-year-old right-handed ace, signed a minor-league deal to join the defending World Series champions.

Sasaki's nickname is a tribute to legendary Japanese starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was known as the "Monster of the Heisei," referring to different eras of the Japanese calendar. The 23-year-old lost both his father and grandfather during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Sasaki’s résumé in just a short amount of time in Japan is nothing short of legendary. During his tenure with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), he posted a jaw-dropping 2.02 ERA and racked up 524 strikeouts in just over 414 innings.

Rōki Sasaki, the 23-year-old phenom from Japan whose services for the next six seasons could be procured by every Major League Baseball franchise for the equivalent of a rounding error, ended his six-week recruiting period by agreeing to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, he announced in a social media post.

Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki is signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced Friday on Instagram. Sasaki, 23, was considered to be the best pitcher in the world not already under the employment of an MLB organization.