Yoshinobu Yamamoto was announced as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Opening Day starter for a second consecutive season, but it will be his first at Dodger Stadium.
The right-hander was the starting pitcher for the first game of the Dodgers’ season in 2025, allowing just one run in five innings against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome. The first game of the Tokyo Series marked the first time in MLB history that an Opening Day matchup featured two Japanese starting pitchers, as Yamamoto faced off against Shota Imanaga.
Yamamoto now becomes the first Dodgers starting pitcher to start back-to-back Opening Days since Clayton Kershaw in 2018, which concluded a run of eight consecutive Opening Day starts.
Yamamoto said he is honored to be tasked with another Opening Day start and it is especially meaningful that it will be his first at Dodger Stadium, according to Maddie Lee of the L.A. Times:
“It’s an honor for me,” Dodgers opening day starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto said Tuesday through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “And then it’s opening day at a Dodger Stadium home game, and that’s very [much an] honor to me. I also feel the responsibility.”
The 27-year-old is coming off an impressive season in 2025, establishing himself as a premier starter in just his second MLB season.
Yamamoto finished 2025 with a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 201 strikeouts and 173.2 innings pitched across 30 starts. With 201 strikeouts, he became the first Dodgers pitcher to reach 200 in a single season since Walker Buehler in 2021.
The second-year Dodgers pitcher followed up his regular season with one of the most impressive postseason performances in MLB history. He allowed just six earned runs across 37.1 total innings, including two complete games and closing out Game 7 on zero days of rest.
He will head the Dodgers rotation in 2026 alongside Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow. Blake Snell will be unavailable to start the season, as left-shoulder discomfort delayed his build-up. He hopes to pitch in a game for the Dodgers before the end of April.
Kiké Hernández impressed with Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s routine
Yamamoto has a unique approach to the day-to-day maintenance of his health. He does not lift weights, but rather focuses on a combination of breathing, flexibility and yoga-style drills.
He also uses javelins to train the correct throwing path and force transfer from the ground up in an effort to reduce stress on his arm. Hernández admires Yamamoto’s training routine and believes it has held up so far.
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