The night before Roki Sasaki was to be introduced at Dodger Stadium, the Japanese pitcher met LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and others at his first Lakers game.

The Dodgers believe the Japanese right-hander, who was introduced at a press conference at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, has the potential to be an annual Cy Young Award contender.

The latest sterling Los Angeles Dodger officially arrived on Wednesday afternoon as the franchise formally introduced Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old right-hander’s fastball has touched 102 mph. His arrival in the United States was met with more anticipation than any international amateur since Shohei Ohtani in 2018 — now his teammate.