Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki honored with 12-story Dodgers trophy

Robert Vargas is having a hard time.

The Los Angeles-based artist has embarked on one of his most ambitious photo shoots yet. Dubbed the “Samurai of the Diamond,” it features three of the Dodgers’ stars — shortstop Shohei Ohtani and pitchers Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — in larger-than-life fashion on the 12-story wall of the DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance.

As of Saturday afternoon, Vargas still had a lot of painting to do before the mural was officially unveiled at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Anyone familiar with Vargas and the way he works, knows he will.

“It may be finished at 9:59, but at ten o’clock we will present this,” said Vargas.

Koreatown resident Diego Guerrero is one of those who still knows Vargas’ style. After seeing the artist work on his Fernando Valenzuela mural in Boyle Heights in the fall of 2024, Guerrero said he has “full faith” Vargas will meet his deadline this time around.

“I know you have this,” Guerrero said during a tour of the DoubleTree site on Saturday. “The last time he did this, it was raining and even then he pulled out, so I have no doubt that he will finish.”

Vargas said the new piece was created as a follow-up to the large mural Ohtani painted on the side of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo shortly after the former Angels signed with the Dodgers before the 2024 season. In two seasons with LA, Ohtani won two National League MVP awards and helped the Dodgers win two World Series championships.

The Dodgers signed Yamamoto at the same time as Sasaki the following year. Both pitchers played a key role in the team’s run to the 2025 postseason. Yamamoto went 7-1 with two complete games and advanced to Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Sasaki moved into the bullpen for the playoffs and recorded three saves and two interceptions.

“If [the Ohtani] The mural was about ushering in a new era and new faces here in Los Angeles, this mural is about building a cultural bridge from Los Angeles to Japan and really emphasizes the beauty that these foreign-born Japanese players have contributed not only to the team, but to the appreciation of this community,” said Vargas.

Robert Vargas paints a portrait of Shohei Ohtani as part of local artist’s ‘Samurai of the Diamond’ mural Saturday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Known for its large African American population and Japanese business community, 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 because of the mural work he does there, came up with the idea for the Torrance mural honoring the Dodgers stars in Japan at the time.

“I feel like they’re examples of how to do things on and off the field,” Vargas said of the trio. “Their performance is really reflected in the culture. That’s why Ohtani is so respected on the field, not only for what he does with the bat or with the baseball but also in the way he conducts himself. It’s refreshing.”

His idea has 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 rallying around Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki has given us all a sense of pride,” Kaji said in an email to The Times. “…’Samurai of the Diamond’ shows the unifying power of sport that transcends borders and nationalities.”

Chen wrote in a separate email: “There are many Dodgers fans in Torrance City and the greatness of these 3 players have been good examples for young and old. They perform at the highest levels in the MLB, yet they have shown us that even great and famous athletes can maintain a certain level of maturity, respect others, pick up trash, and not take revenge every time they are attacked by a sports player.”

The wall will include an interactive feature: When visitors scan the QR code, they will see each player live and throw a claim, with animation provided by the AR Firm. Also, lights are being 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 the executive chairman of the Discover Torrance visitors bureau, said the hotel plans to create “opportunities for guests to meet outside, enjoy themselves. [Dodgers] games under the stars alongside the mural.”

“The response from the community has been overwhelming,” Amato said in an email. “There is a real sense of excitement – people stop by every day to watch the progress and participate in the work. It brings a new energy to the city. Robert Vargas has been amazing throughout the process, often talking to visitors about his vision and methods, adding to his overall knowledge.”

Vargas hand-picked the DoubleTree Hotel in Torrance as the location for his latest painting, despite the depth of the wall, making it difficult to paint.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Vargas hand-picked the DoubleTree as the venue, though he says the hotel’s exterior “represents the toughest challenge” he’s ever faced. The wall is lined with thick, vertical grooves, which Vargas describes as “almost like a floor because the tile is so deep.”

As a result, Vargas – who always works freehand and does not use spray paints – has to carefully paint each section with a brush, as even a roller will not work in that area. He calls the process “very exciting.”

Actor Edward James Olmos, who visited Vargas in the area Thursday morning, thinks his longtime friend is nuts.

“That’s the worst f— texture I’ve ever seen in my life,” the 79-year-old “Stand and Deliver” actor said of the wall. “There’s not a single artist I know who would even try to do this. He chose you. I told him he’s out of—. Have you ever seen that texture before? You never.”

Vargas said that he does not think about that or any other challenges if he has many stories in the air working on a program that he knows will mean a lot to many people.

“When I’m up there and I think about the community down here and how happy they are to see a picture like this – not just because of the content, but that it’s happening here in Torrance and not just in Little Tokyo – they feel very proud,” Vargas said. So the wind conditions, the temperature conditions, the scale, all of that becomes secondary when you think about why to create.”

On Saturday afternoon, East Los Angeles resident Edgar Reyes came out to see the giant-sized artwork in action.

“It’s amazing to see and see how people come together,” said Reyes, who described himself as “a big fan of Robert Vargas.” “I think for Torrance this is a good thing because you see more graffiti in east LA because there are more graffiti artists and all that, compared to here. So it’s a really big thing for Torrance, I believe.”

Koreatown resident Diego Guerrero, who also visited the site Saturday, said it was “amazing” to watch Vargas work and called the painting “thought-provoking.”

“It’s huge,” Guerrero said. “You can see it from a distance. And it’s like, hey, I know them — they’re part of the Dodgers. But not just that. They’re part of a 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 painting ‘Samurai of the Diamond’ in time for the official unveiling on Tuesday at 10am.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Around noon on Saturday, Vargas experienced another delay when strong winds caused him to temporarily descend the wall. He had already made plans to work through Saturday night and said he was willing to work non-stop, if necessary, to be finished in time for his unveiling two days before the Dodgers’ season opener Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I will,” he said.

“My times I have good ambitions, but I also know what I can do when it comes to my speed,” added Vargas. “And I also think that my process is really charged with my purpose of why I create these pieces, and that’s what motivates me to finish.”