Japanese ace Roki Sasaki made his free-agent decision on Friday, agreeing to join the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers were long seen as the favorites for services of the 23-year-old pitching phenom,

Roki Sasaki is a Los Angeles Dodger, and few in the baseball industry are particularly surprised. The 23-year-old Japanese hurler, one of the most promising talents in the nation’s storied baseball history,

For some teams in Major League Baseball, the chase for Roki Sasaki could not be measured in mere months. It lasted for years. One of those teams, the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, concluded that pursuit on Friday night by landing the star pitcher from Japan.