Yoshinobu Yamamoto has taken a leap forward in his second season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after making the move from Nippon Professional Baseball.
A promising rookie season was shortened due to a right shoulder/triceps injury that at one point threatened the potential of Yamamoto pitching again in 2024. He not only returned to help them win the World Series, but now is performing like the player the Dodgers were hoping for when they signed Yamamoto the largest pitching contract in Major League history.
Despite the Dodgers’ best efforts to protect him, Yamamoto still dealt with a significant shoulder and triceps issues that limited him to just 18 starts in 2024.
Not that there was much concern Yamamoto’s injury would carry into this year, but manager Dave Roberts confirmed as much and explained the team is more comfortable pushing the right-hander at times, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I think that that’s past us,” Roberts said. “Just talking to (pitching coach) Mark Prior and the training staff, feeling like his body’s in a good place so we can push him a little bit and I have. Last year, being more mindful in trying to get his feet under him and build the confidence. But right now I just feel like I can let him go.”
Through five starts, Yamamoto has a 0.93 ERA, 2.03 FIP, 0.86 WHIP and 35.2% strikeout rate. He is second in the Majors in terms of ERA, fourth in strikeout percentage, and top-10 for total strikeouts (105), batting average against (.178) and WHIP.
The only statistical category Yamamoto lags behind is innings pitched with only 29 on the season, but that has already begun to change as Roberts alluded to. Yamamoto has pitched deeper into games his past three outings, with Roberts allowing him to surpass the 100 pitch mark in back-to-back starts.
Yamamoto threw more than 100 pitches only twice all of last season.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes MLB history
After his start against the Texas Rangers, Yamamoto became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1901) to post 35 or more strikeouts, a 5.00 or better strikeout to walk ratio, fewer than 20 hits allowed and fewer than five runs allowed over his first five starts of a season.
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