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The Dodgers landed the most notable prospect on the market this offseason after signing Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki to a six-year deal. There may have been a number of factors that led to him opting to take his talents to Los Angeles, but the team’s decision to woo him by installing state-of-the-art toilets in the clubhouse certainly didn’t hurt.
It’s been more than 60 years since Masanori Murakami became the first Japan-born player to appear in a Major League Baseball game, and as things currently stand, a grand total of 81 guys hailing from the country have managed to check that box.
Japan is responsible for producing one of the best players in baseball history in the form of Shohei Ohtani, who is currently in the midst of his second year with the Dodgers. Los Angeles also picked up Yoshinobu Yamamoto ahead of a season where both men played a key role in their World Series victory, and their presence on the roster certainly didn’t hurt when the franchise successfully courted Roki Sasaki before the ongoing campaign.
Sasaki made a name for himself while playing high school baseball in Japan thanks to his impressive velocity on the mound and lived up to the hype after heading to the NPB as a member of the Chiba Lotte Marines. In 2022, he not only pitched a perfect game but did so while racking up 19 strikeouts with the help of the 13 consecutive Ks he tossed during the contest.
Sasaki met with seven different MLB teams during the most recent offseason before inking a contract with the Dodgers; due to his age, it was a minor league deal that allows the franchise to control his rights for six years, but he also got a $6.5 million signing bonus to sweeten the pot.
According to The Orange County Register, the Dodgers also went above and beyond to set themselves apart from the pack by incorporating an amenity he floated during a sitdown into a stadium renovation project that was underway while they were negotiating with the ace: Japanese toilets.
Dodgers president Stan Kasten recounted the conversation that led to the team incorporating the luxurious thrones that boast bidets, heated seats, and other features most Americans aren’t too accustomed to, saying:
“During our first meeting with Roki, we were telling him about the project we had ongoing to upgrade our clubhouse and facilities. I was telling him about all the amenities we were adding. ‘We’re going to have this and this and this.’ And he asked, ‘Are you going to have Japanese-style toilets?’
Done. You got it. It was a good idea that we got from a player.”
The Dodgers ultimately installed eight of those toilets in the clubhouse, and Sasaki confirmed it helped sway his decision, saying, “It sounds like a joke. But for me, it’s pretty important.”
Well played.