Rocky Sasaki will never forget Miguel Rojas’ classic gesture

After Miguel Rojas sparked speculation from an Instagram story on Sunday, Los Angeles Dodgers The infielder finally popped the question to rest: He won’t be giving up his No. 11 Rookie pitcher Hand Sasaki.

The year 2025 will bring a wave of adjustment for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Rocky Sasaki, as the Japanese phenom adjusts to life under the bright lights of foreign countries while playing for the defending World Series champions. However, One constant Will RemAIN: His number.

Miguel Rojas takes Roy to #11

During the opening press conference of Roki Sasaki, where the Japanese fan made the first appearance of the Blue Blue, proudly wearing the no. 11 – the same number Rojas once called his own.

Sasaki publicly thanked Rojas on Wednesday, admitting he wasn’t yet sure what gift to give in return for the privilege of wearing the No. 11.

It is still unknown if Rojas received any compensation for giving up his number, but he could be following in Joe Kelly’s footsteps. Last year, Kelly surrendered his number to Ohtana and walked away with a Porsche as a token of appreciation.

Sasaki will proudly wear the no. 11 for the Dodgers the following season, a number he wore throughout his career as a tribute to the five-time All-Star and in Darvish a legendary figure and icon in his native Japan.

Other notable Dodgers who wore down the no. The 11 includes AJ Pollock, Logan Forsythe, Josh Reddick, Jimmy Roldick, Manny Mota, Carl Erskine and Dickie Walker, adding to the legacy of the number Sasaki will now wear.

On Thursday, Rojas took to Instagram to announce that he had agreed to take over the no. 11 in Sasaka, instead of wearing no. 72 – the same number he sported when he made his debut with the Dodgers back in 2014.

Rojas and Sasaki are already building chemistry

Rojas previously wore no. 19 during his time with the Miami Marlins before moving to no. 11, but the Dodgers retired the no. 19 in honor of Jim Gilliam, leaving Rojas to choose a new number to return to Los Angeles.

SASAKI sported no. 17 and no. 14 earlier in his career in Japan, but Shohei Ohtani had already taken over, and the Dodgers retired him to honor Gil Hodges. That paved the way for Sashaki to make the no. 11. His own as he begins his journey with the team.

While championships are built on talent, they are also fueled by camaraderie and chemistry. By willingly surrendering his number, Rojas has already established a culture of selflessness for the Dodgers in 2025, creating a strong sense of unity within the revamped roster — all before the first pitch of spring training has been thrown.

Sasaki chose the Dodgers over other finalistsincluding the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays. The decision came as no surprise to many, though it did follow MLB’s investigation to ensure that a prior practice agreement did not exist between Sasaki and the Dodgers before it was officially announced.

Before Sasaki was signed by the Dodgers, the team deployed a group of its stars to meet with him. Among them, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani played a key roleemphasizing how the Dodgers can ease his transition from professional baseball in Nippon to the majors.