You can’t hit a home run from the dugout. The Padres were right to pursue Roki Sasaki, even though, by the time the Japanese pitching ace chose Friday to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, much of their offseason had come and gone to little effect.

Yu Darvish, a prominent MLB pitcher, played a crucial role in mentoring Roki Sasaki during his early baseball career. Darvish’s guidance helped Sasaki