The historic performance of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the World Series, which secured a consecutive title for the Dodgers and earned him the Most Valuable Player award, left an indelible impression on the Japanese pitcher. But, for his teammate, Kike Hernandez, the highlight was not on the mound, but off it.
In a recent conversation with Dodgers Nation, Hernandez revealed that the moment that gave him “goosebumps” occurred during the pre-World Series press conference. Yamamoto, known for his winning mentality, greeted the audience in English with a bold statement that did not go unnoticed.
The Yoshinobu Yamamoto quote that gave Kike Hernandez goosebumps
Yamamoto arrived with a winning attitude and without fear he came and said, “you know what, losing is not an option?” That phrase was the one that impacted Hernandez so much, who was even more motivated after listening to his teammate.
When he said that in the press conference, I got goosebumps. ‘Oh, honey, talk dirty to me’
The Puerto Rican, who has been a key player for the Dodgers, enthusiastically quoted Yamamoto’s phrase. Hernandez not only praised the $325 million pitcher’s mentality, but also had an exaggerated and humorous reaction to his confidence:
“He (Yoshinobu Yamamoto) wins wherever he goes. He won the WBC and, seriously, the guy is a winner. And, seriously, that quote of ‘losing is not an option’, when he said that at the press conference, I got goosebumps. ‘Oh, baby, talk dirty to me’. I love this shit…”, said Kike Hernandez.
Manager Dave Roberts reinforced the sentiment, recalling that same phrase after Yamamoto threw two consecutive complete games in the postseason, the first since Curt Schilling in 2001 to achieve such a feat. Roberts noted that Yamamoto’s winning mentality was evident: “As he said before the series, losing is not an option. And he had that look tonight.”
The Dodgers complicate the World Baseball Classic
The Dodgers face a major dilemma as both Japan’s national team and Los Angeles want to have Shohei Ohtani fit at the same time.
It turns out that both teams need Ohtani. The Dodgers for another World Series and Japan for the World Baseball Classic. Ohtani has stated that he has the goal of playing in the sixth edition of the mythical tournament, but his schedule clashes with the preparation of the Dodgers, something that makes noise in the team.
Ohtani dreams of things being worked out so he can play in the World Cup, however, from the Dodgers there is the fear that this will affect his performance or worse, cost him an injury. For now nothing is clear, but the Japanese is a star and his vote counts for a lot.
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