On the 22nd (23rd in Japan), the Dodgers officially announced that they had agreed to a minor league contract with pitcher Akinori Sasaki (23). Using the posting system, Sasaki had been aiming to move to the majors from the Lotte Marines.
The following is the full text of his speech in Japanese, as he read from a piece of paper in his hand. He did not give a speech in English.
"Thank you for coming out in such numbers at a time when the whole city of Los Angeles is going through a tough time.
I would also like to thank the Dodgers for holding this press conference. Putting on the Dodgers uniform today, I feel renewed determination as I start from scratch.
When I was considering moving to MLB, I received many offers from teams, even though I had little experience.
I am genuinely grateful to all the team members who took the time to talk to me. I spent the past month enjoying and savoring this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to choose where I can grow the most as a player.
Each team had its appeal, so choosing just one was a tough decision.
I am well aware that there are many different opinions.
However, now that I have made my decision, I want to move forward for the people who believe in my goals, believe in my potential, and believe that my decision is the best one.
I also suffered as a result of the disaster, but I made sure not to lose sight of my goals and to keep looking forward, and I never forgot that.
Los Angeles is also going through a difficult time right now, but I will be a member of the Dodgers from today, and I hope to work hard with everyone in Los Angeles to look forward to the future.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude to everyone at the Chiba Lotte Marines who supported me in my challenge and to all the fans who have supported me for the past five years.
In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to my agent Joel Wolf, who negotiated on my behalf and put me first when I transferred to MLB, to everyone at Wasserman, and to everyone who has supported me in my life, not just in baseball, and to my family, who have always supported me. Thank you very much."
The following is the full text of his speech in Japanese, as he read from a piece of paper in his hand. He did not give a speech in English.
"Thank you for coming out in such numbers at a time when the whole city of Los Angeles is going through a tough time.
I would also like to thank the Dodgers for holding this press conference. Putting on the Dodgers uniform today, I feel renewed determination as I start from scratch.
When I was considering moving to MLB, I received many offers from teams, even though I had little experience.
I am genuinely grateful to all the team members who took the time to talk to me. I spent the past month enjoying and savoring this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to choose where I can grow the most as a player.
Each team had its appeal, so choosing just one was a tough decision.
I am well aware that there are many different opinions.
However, now that I have made my decision, I want to move forward for the people who believe in my goals, believe in my potential, and believe that my decision is the best one.
I also suffered as a result of the disaster, but I made sure not to lose sight of my goals and to keep looking forward, and I never forgot that.
Los Angeles is also going through a difficult time right now, but I will be a member of the Dodgers from today, and I hope to work hard with everyone in Los Angeles to look forward to the future.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude to everyone at the Chiba Lotte Marines who supported me in my challenge and to all the fans who have supported me for the past five years.
In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to my agent Joel Wolf, who negotiated on my behalf and put me first when I transferred to MLB, to everyone at Wasserman, and to everyone who has supported me in my life, not just in baseball, and to my family, who have always supported me. Thank you very much."
