The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the San Diego Padres in a 15-11 loss on Thursday, wrapping up their two-game set as part of the Seoul Series in South Korea.
The series finale was also the MLB debut for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who lasted just one inning. Allowing five earned runs on four hits, the right-hander failed to bring the usual command that made him a feared pitcher.
“The problem I was having was I was not able to control my pitches, which led to giving up too many runs,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “I’m going to review what went wrong, then reset my mind and get ready for the next outing.”
By dealing with immediate traffic on the bases, the 25-year-old never managed to settle into his start.
“The reason I was having the problem with command was because I wasn’t ready to execute the pitch from the stretch,” Yamamoto added. “I know how to fix it and I’m going to talk to my pitching coaches to get myself ready for the next one.”
Pitching out of the stretch previously was identified as a trouble spot during Spring Training as well.
The five-run deficit didn’t do any favors to for a Dodgers lineup that battled the entire game but was routinely let down by the team’s pitching. If not for a rough first inning, the rest of the Seoul Series finale could have gone a different way.
“I regret I couldn’t keep the team in the game from the get-go. I do feel the responsibility for it. Like I said, I just have to get ready for my next outing,” Yamamoto said.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto working with Dodgers coaches
Because of a change in pitching schedule, among other adjustments, the routine with being part of an MLB staff has been another hurdle Yamamoto has needed to navigate.
Leading into his big league debut, Yamamoto revealed a series of changes were made to his setup and approach in response to some struggles.
“I do feel the numbers weren’t good. But other than that, during Spring Training there were a lot of things I got to try and I made adjustments, so I’m not really concerned about the numbers at this point,” Yamamoto said.
“I was trying a couple different things in terms of hand position but at this point I did everything I could. I did enough adjustments going into the season.”
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