Wednesday, November 14, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a great first major league season even though he missed three months with a strained rotator cuff. He played an integral part in the Dodgers’ postseason success. The Dodgers are glad Yamamoto is under contract for eleven more years.
At 25, Yamamoto was the best starting pitcher in the Japanese professional leagues. When Yamamoto could come to the major leagues, every rich team made an offer. Yamamoto wanted to play with Shohei Ohtani, so he signed a $325 million 12-year contract.
Yamamoto has a training program that is different from that of other major league pitchers. He is small for a major league starting pitcher. He uses a javelin to throw in between starts. In Japan, starters hurl once a week while in the United States major leagues, starting pitchers hurl every fifth day unless the team has an off day. The Dodgers kept Yamamoto on a six-day rotation.
In his first major league start, Yamamoto stunk. In South Korea facing the San Diego Padres, Yamamoto lasted one inning allowing five runs. Everyone was worried the Dodgers made a mistake with Yamamoto.
Then, Yamamoto pitched great in his second major league career start against the Saint Louis Cardinals. For five innings, he didn’t allow a run and struck out five.
Yamamoto has a wide selection of pitches. His split-finger fastball is almost unhittable. During high-pressure games, Yamamoto’s velocity goes up to 98 miles per hour.
In 18 starts, 90 innings, Yamamoto had 7 wins, 3 losses, a 3.00 ERA, and 105 strikeouts.
After his first disastrous postseason against the San Diego Padres, Yamamoto was brilliant for the rest of the postseason. He should have one of the most elite starters in the major leagues if Yamamoto stays healthy.
