Ballplayers can be picky about what they want in the clubhouse, and the Dodgers will consider any suggestion, including changing the design of some of the restrooms, to entice a potential player.
The Dodgers implemented Japanese-style toilets during a $100 million renovation of their clubhouse after Rōki Sasaki suggested it would influence his signing decision.
The subject had come up during a meeting with Sasaki and team officials, including team president and CEO Stan Kasten.
“During our first meeting with Roki, we were telling him about the project we had ongoing to upgrade our clubhouse and facilities,” Kasten told the Ocean County Register. “I was telling him about the new amenities we were adding. ‘We will have this, this, and this.’ He inquired, ‘Are you going to have Japanese-style toilets?'”
Japanese toilets frequently feature a bidet function, a remote control, heated seats, and an automatic lid, among other advanced features.
Sasaki later admitted that the suggestion was a little tongue-in-cheek, but the pitcher appreciated that the team was willing to listen to his ideas and that it “was definitely a factor” in his decision to join the Los Angeles team.
“Done. “You got it,” Kasten remembered telling Sasaki during the meeting. “It was a good idea that we got from a player.”
Sasaki signed with the Dodgers, and in his first season in the majors, he has a 3.55 ERA in six starts for Los Angeles.
He has 20 strikeouts in 25 ⅓ innings pitched and a 1.421 WHIP.
In his most recent outing, Sasaki struck out four and allowed three runs on five hits in an 8-4 victory over the Pirates on Saturday.
The Dodgers signed Sasaki in January for a $6.5 million signing bonus, outbidding the Padres and Blue Jays for the Japanese pitcher. The Mets and Yankees also pitched, but were not among the finalists.
