Dodgers' Japan Series may have just helped them find the next team to recruit from

Before they turned their focus to their Opening Day matchup against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, the Los Angeles Dodgers split a pair of exhibition games in a final tune-up against Japanese pro teams.

After defeating the Yomiuri Giants in the first game, the Dodgers were shut out, 3-0, in their final exhibition game of the Tokyo Series against the same team that had shut out the Cubs a day earlier.

The Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball earned back-to-back 3-0 wins, first over the Cubs on Saturday and then over the Dodgers on Sunday. The Tigers pitched 18 consecutive scoreless innings against the two Major League clubs, allowing just six hits through two games.

Dodgers' Japan Series may have just helped them find the next team to recruit from

Starting on the mound against the Dodgers, right-hander Hiroto Saiki threw five innings and gave up just one hit and one walk while racking up seven strikeouts. At the plate, Teruaki Sato hit a three-run homer to right field off of two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell in the fourth inning.

“Really good ball club,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the Tigers (via David Brandt of the Associated Press). “I thought they played really good defense. They can handle velocity — good with the fastball. The starter (Saiki) had major-league stuff. Good command, good split. And then Sato, he looks the part, he’s a really impressive baseball player.”

The 26-year-old Saiki was one of the best pitchers in Japan last season with a 13-3 record and a 1.88 ERA over 167 2/3 innings for the Tigers. One could argue that his dominant performance against the Dodgers signaled his arrival on the international stage.

During the Seoul Series in 2024, it was utility infielder Hyeseong Kim who caught the eye of Roberts and the Dodgers' scouting staff before ultimately signing with Los Angeles the following offseason. Could Saiki be next? It's very likely that Los Angeles is similarly using these Japan exhibition games as international scouting opportunities. Roberts already said that Saiki had "major-league stuff." Perhaps we'll see Saiki or one of his teammates wearing a Major League jersey in the coming seasons.

More Dodgers content from Dodgers Way