Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki honored in 12-story Dodgers mural
Robert Vargas is a little pressed for time.
The Los Angeles-based artist has embarked on one of his most ambitious murals. Titled “Samurai of the Diamond,” it features the Dodgers’ trio of Japanese stars — two-way infielder Shohei Ohtani and pitchers Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — in larger-than-life fashion on a 12-story wall of the DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance.
Artist Robert Vargas takes a break from painting Saturday to show off his progress on his new mural.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
As of Saturday afternoon, Vargas still had a lot of painting to do to get the mural finished by the official unveiling at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Anyone who knows Vargas and how he works, however, knows that he will succeed.
“It may be finished at 9:59, but at 10 we will reveal it,” Vargas said.
Koreatown resident Diego Guerrero is among those familiar with Vargas’ style. After watching the artist work on his massive mural of Fernando Valenzuela in Boyle Heights in fall 2024, Guerrero said he had “full confidence” that Vargas would meet his deadline this time around.
“I know he has that,” Guerrero said during his visit to the DoubleTree site Saturday. “The last time he did this it was raining and even that time he succeeded. So I have no doubt he will finish it.”
Vargas said the new piece was intended as a follow-up to the massive Ohtani mural he painted on the side of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo shortly after the former Angels pitcher signed with the Dodgers before the 2024 season. In two seasons in Los Angeles, Ohtani won two National League MVP awards and helped the Dodgers win two World Series championships.
The Dodgers signed Yamamoto that same offseason and Sasaki a year later. Both pitchers played key roles in the team’s 2025 playoff run. Yamamoto went 7-1 with two complete games and pitched for the last out of Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Sasaki joined the bullpen for the postseason and recorded three saves and two holds.
“If [the Ohtani] “The mural was about ushering in a new era and a new face here in Los Angeles, this mural is about building a cultural bridge between Los Angeles and Japan and really highlighting the greatness of the contribution of these foreign-born Japanese players not only to the team, but to the identity of this community,” Vargas said. “And also an inspiration for kids who can look up and see heroes that look like them from this community.”
Robert Vargas paints an image of Shohei Ohtani as part of the local artist’s “Samurai of the Diamond” mural Saturday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Known for its large Japanese American population and concentration of Japanese businesses, Torrance signed friendship city agreements with Bizen (Yamamoto’s hometown) in August 2024 and Oshu (Ohtani’s hometown) in October 2024.
Vargas, who has a home in Japan due to the frequent wall work he does there, came up with the idea for a mural in Torrance honoring the Japanese Dodgers stars of that era.
“I think they are examples of how to do things right on and off the field,” Vargas said of the three players. “Their work ethic really reflects in the culture. That’s why Ohtani is so respected on the field, not just for what he does with the bat or the baseball, but also for the way he carries himself. It’s refreshing.”
His idea received support from local leaders, such as Mayor George Chen and City Council member Jon Kaji.
“Since the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani in December 2023, the community has rallied around Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, giving us all a sense of pride,” Kaji said in an email to The Times. “…“The Diamond Samurai” illustrates the unifying power of sport that transcends borders and nationalities. »
Chen wrote in a separate email: “There are many Dodgers fans in the city of Torrance and the greatness of these 3 players have been great role models to young and old. They perform at the highest level in MLB, but they have shown us that even great athletes and celebrities can maintain a certain level of maturity, respect others, pick up trash, not fight back when attacked and still demonstrate great sportsmanship.”
The wall will include an interactive feature: when visitors scan a QR code, they will see each player come to life and launch a strike, with animation provided by AR Firm. In addition, lights are installed in the parking lot to illuminate the mural at night.
“It’s going to be a destination,” Vargas said.
DoubleTree General Manager Linda Amato, who is also executive chair of the Discover Torrance Visitors Bureau, said the hotel plans to create “opportunities for guests to gather outdoors, enjoying [Dodgers] games under the stars alongside the interactive wall fresco.
“The response from the community has been incredible,” Amato said in an email. “There is a real sense of excitement: people stop by daily to monitor the progress and get involved with the project. It has brought a new energy to the city. Robert Vargas has been incredible throughout the process, often speaking with visitors about his vision and techniques, which adds to the overall experience.”
Vargas chose the DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance as the location for his latest mural, despite the wall’s deep ridges, which make it difficult to paint.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Vargas chose the DoubleTree as the site, even though he said the hotel’s exterior “presents the most difficult surface challenge” he has faced. The wall is lined with thick vertical grooves, described by Vargas as “almost like a lattice surface because the undulation is so deep.”
For this reason, Vargas — who always works freehand and doesn’t use spray paint — must paint each section carefully with a brush, because even a roller won’t work on this surface. He calls the process “very exciting.”
Actor Edward James Olmos, who was visiting Vargas at the site Thursday morning, thinks his longtime friend is crazy.
“It’s the worst texture I’ve seen in my life,” the 79-year-old “Stand and Deliver” actor said of the wall surface. “No artist I know would even try to do that. He chose it. I told him he was crazy. Have you ever seen that texture before? Never.”
Vargas said he didn’t think about that or any other challenge when he was working on a project that he knew would mean a lot to a lot of people.
“When I’m up there and I think about the community that is here and how excited they are to see a picture like this – not only because of the content, but also the fact that it’s happening here in Torrance and not just in Little Tokyo – they feel very, very proud,” Vargas said. “So wind conditions, heat conditions, scale, all of that becomes secondary when you think about why you’re creating it.”
On Saturday afternoon, East Los Angeles resident Edgar Reyes came to see the giant work of art being created in real time.
“It’s just amazing to be able to witness it and see how people come together,” said Reyes, who described himself as a “big Robert Vargas fan.” “I think for Torrance it’s a good thing because you see a lot of murals in East Los Angeles because there’s a lot of graffiti artists and all that compared to here. So it’s a really big thing for Torrance, I think.”
Koreatown resident Diego Guerrero, who also visited the site Saturday, said it was “fascinating” to watch Vargas work and called the mural “breathtaking.”
“It’s so huge,” Guerrero said. “You could see it from miles away. And it’s like, hey, I know them, they’re the Dodgers. But not only that. They’re the minority. They’re Japanese players, we’re Hispanic, but we’re the same. We want to feel like we’re represented and we’re here. The world will see us, you know?”
Robert Vargas plans to finish his “Diamond Samurai” mural in time for its official unveiling Tuesday at 10 a.m.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Around noon Saturday, Vargas faced another delay when high winds forced him to temporarily descend the wall. He had already made arrangements to work all night Saturday and said he was prepared to work nonstop, if necessary, to finish in time for the unveiling two days before the Dodgers’ season opener Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“I’ll do it,” he said.
“My deadlines are quite ambitious, but I also know what I am capable of in terms of speed,” Vargas added. “And I also think that my process is really influenced by my intention to create these pieces, and that’s what motivates me until their completion.”
