Yoshinobu Yamamoto Says Dodgers Will Probably Haze Roki Sasaki This Year

No matter how good you are at baseball, nobody is above the unwritten rules of being a rookie.

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There have been countless stories of first-year players doing undesireable tasks for their team. Whether it be getting stuck with a purposely large bill at a team dinner, carrying bags for the more senior players, being the first to move spots on the bench for a veteran, or other silly assignments, all rookies in the world of sports get this sort of treatment.

Never in a personal way, but almost always done to carry out the tradition of those who did it before them, 23-year-old phenom Roki Sasaki may be the next MLB rookie to endure lighthearted hazing from his new teammates.

A new, but also former, teammate of Sasaki is Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The pair pitched for the Japan National Team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic along with Shohei Ohtani.

Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reported that Yamamoto is excited to once again be teammates with the phenom.

“I’m very happy to have him on the same team with us,” said Yamamoto.

Harris then asked if there would be any hazing in store for Sasaki.

“Not at this point so far,” Yamamoto answered lightheartedly. “But probably.”

As fans can expect Sasaki to cover a huge tab at dinner or be tasked with extravagant team coffee orders, Dodgers fans can also expect a lethal pitching rotation that Sasaki and Yamamoto are just two pieces of.

Newly-signed Cy Young award winner Blake Snell will make his debut in Dodger blue this season, Tyler Glasnow is healthy and ready to redeem an injury-riddled 2024, and even Shohei Ohtani is set to make his pitching debut for the Dodgers before the All-Star break.

There are also other Dodgers who had an injury-filled 2024 ready to return such as Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May, who may be competing for the final spot in the starting rotation. And of course, the long-awaited return of the most important veteran, Clayton Kershaw.

If fans are impressed by the rotation, the revamped bullpen for Los Angeles will prove just as scary for opposing hitters.

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Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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