Yoshinobu Yamamoto knows what it’s like to travel across the world to take the mound for his first start of the Major League Baseball season.
It’s safe to say the first attempt didn’t go very well.
But the Japanese right-hander bounced back from that brutal 2024 MLB debut in South Korea — where he gave up five runs in just one inning against the San Diego Padres — and ended up being a crucial part of a team that captured a World Series title by beating the New York Yankees in five games.
One season later, he’s ready to be a star.
“This is my second year — I’m not a rookie anymore,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “So I’d like to get better and be a player who can make a contribution to the team a lot more.”
Yamamoto has emerged as a potential ace for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, and he’ll take the mound for the team’s opening day start against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday at the Tokyo Dome (6:10 a.m. ET on FOX).
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Though often overshadowed by superstar teammate Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto’s development is arguably just as important for the Dodgers as he enters the second year of a $325 million, 12-year deal he signed before last season.
“I think Yoshinobu has grown up considerably in one year,” manager Dave Roberts said. ” I really do. I think he’ll have a tremendous season. I think it speaks to his character in the sense that after that debacle, that rough start, to bounce back like he did, it speaks to his [competition] and his character.”
After the first start, Yamamoto was very good when he pitched in 2024, posting a 7-2 record, 3.00 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 90 innings despite a shoulder injury that forced him to miss about half of the season. He was solid in the playoffs, particularly during the World Series, when he gave up just one run over 6 1/3 innings in a Game 2 win.
Yamamoto relies mostly on a three-pitch mix of a mid-90s fastball, a curveball and a devastating splitter that coaxes plenty of swing and miss. Now he also knows he can thrive in the big leagues.
“I think the biggest thing is confidence, which you have to go through the experience, to gain more confidence,” Roberts said. “How that manifests is that he trusts his fastball in the strike zone, and he doesn’t have to be too fine with it, and that makes everything else better.”
The 26-year-old Yamamoto could be one of the headliners of an elite starting rotation that includes two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Japanese rookie Roki Sasaki and eventually Ohtani, who hopes to return to the mound in May.
Dustin May and Bobby Miller are also options, while veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw could contribute if healthy.
But the first game of the regular season belongs to Yamamoto. He’s ready to seize the opportunity in his home country, especially since the start opposite Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga features the first all-Japanese starting pitcher matchup in MLB history.
That rough start in South Korea a year ago is far from his mind.
“In terms of preparation, there’s not much difference,” Yamamoto said. “Last year, things didn’t go my way, but this year, I think I’m pretty happy with where I am.”
During the Dodgers’ exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants this weekend, Yamamoto enjoyed a bit of role reversal. After his teammates helped him adjust to the U.S. last season, he gets to be the one with the local knowledge this week in Japan.
“I like to help as much as I can, in my way,” Yamamoto said. “I think they’re all enjoying the different environment.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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