With the 2026 season quickly approaching, the Los Angeles Dodgers had not yet named their Opening Day starter for March 26 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers have numerous options worthy of getting the Opening Day nod, including Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But that number decreased when Snell was ruled out for the start of the season due to a shoulder issue, and Ohtani has yet to pitch in a game this spring, although that should happen soon.
That left Yamamoto and Glasnow as the primary options to pitch the first game of the year, and the Dodgers have made their decision. Manager Dave Roberts revealed that Yamamoto will be the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter this season, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“It is a pretty easy decision, considering that it’s an honor to be the Opening Day starter,” Roberts said Monday. “He started for us last year on the road. But for him to get that start on Opening Day at home I think it’s going to be special.”
Yamamoto also started Opening Day for the Dodgers last year, but it came in Japan for the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs. Instead, it was Blake Snell who pitched the Dodger Stadium home opener.
Because the Dodgers open their season at Dodger Stadium, Yamamoto will now have the honor of pitching Opening Day and the home opener. It also marks the first time a Dodgers pitcher has started consecutive Opening Days since Clayton Kershaw in 2017-18 — which concluded a run of eight consecutive Opening Day starts beginning in 2011.
Yamamoto has been away from the Dodgers while playing in the World Baseball Classic, but he made two Cactus League starts before leaving, and he’s expected to start another. He posted a 5.79 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in 4.1 innings across his two Cactus League appearances before pitching to a 2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings across two starts for Team Japan in the WBC.
He should once again lead the Dodgers staff in 2026, and he could compete for a Cy Young Award if he stays healthy throughout the year.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto 2025 season
Yamamoto logged a combined 211 innings over 36 appearances (35 starts) between the regular season and playoffs last year, all of which represented career highs. He finished the season with a 2.49 ERA, 2.94 FIP and 0.99 WHIP while striking out 29.4% of hitters and walking 8.6%.
He was also named the World Series MVP after making two starts in Games 2 and 6 before recording the final out and save in Game 7.
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