The Los Angeles Dodgers placed an emphasis on improving their starting rotation during the offseason, which amounted to the signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a record-setting contract and the acquisition of Tyler Glasnow in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Both pitchers then were lined up to start for the Dodgers in the Seoul Series against the San Diego Padres. That amounted to Dodgers franchise history being made with Glasnow and Yamamoto becoming the first pitchers to make their team debuts in the first two games of a season.
For Glasnow specifically, he became the first pitcher to start on Opening Day of his inaugural season with the Dodgers since Derek Lowe in 2005.
The right-hander didn’t have feel for his curveball but still managed to limit the Padres to two runs over five innings.
“I think the whole day was kind of a grind. Just with timing and everything, it wasn’t my day, I guess,” Glasnow said after the Dodgers’ comeback win.
“I was happy that I got to stay within myself, get out of that inning and kind of mitigate the damage.”
Meanwhile, Yamamoto labored through only one inning of work as he threw 43 pitches and allowed five runs. He attributed struggling to again not being comfortable with pitching out of the stretch.
“The reason I was having the problem with command was because I wasn’t ready to execute the pitch from the stretch. I know how to fix it and I’m going to talk to my pitching coaches to get myself ready for the next one,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda.
Expectations are high for Glasnow and Yamamoto this season, as they are expected to bring stability to a Dodgers starting rotation that was plagued by injuries in 2023 and still faces some question marks.
While Glasnow has struggled to stay on the field at times in his career, he set a personal best in innings pitched last season and wants to build on that with the Dodgers.
Yamamoto is looking to make an immediate impact in his first MLB season. He has gone through a learning curve so far, but the team is confident Yamamoto will be able to make the necessary adjustments.
Tyler Glasnow felt ‘pride and excitement’ being Dodgers Opening Day starter
Glasnow recently said he was honored to have the chance to pitch for his hometown team in the Seoul Series for Opening Day.
The 30-year-old signed a five-year, $136.5 million contract extension with the Dodgers during the offseason and has enjoyed being closer to his family.
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