{"id":33563,"date":"2025-03-16T07:47:13","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T07:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33563"},"modified":"2025-03-16T07:47:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-16T07:47:13","slug":"los-angeles-dodgers-turn-to-yoshinobu-yamamoto-for-the-season-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33563","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Dodgers Turn To Yoshinobu Yamamoto For The Season Opener"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Diamondbacks<\/div>
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during a\u00a0… [+]<\/span><\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Los Angeles Dodgers\u2019 Shohei Ohtani has few peers, but not even he\u2019s done what Yoshinobu Yamamoto has accomplished.<\/p>\n

Yamamoto, a former Japanese star in his second season with the Dodgers, has completed baseball\u2019s unique triple crown. He\u2019s one-of-one in winning an Olympic gold medal, being on the World Baseball Classic squad and a world champion with L.A.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll add another feather in his Dodger blue cap when snagging his first opening-day start in the major leagues on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series.<\/p>\n

L.A.\u2019s fingers are crossed this season\u2019s curtain-rising effort goes better than last year\u2019s clunker. He secured but three outs in allowing five runs on four hits in a loss to the San Diego Padres in the Seoul Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of preparation, there\u2019s not much difference,\u2019\u2019 Yamamoto said. “Last year, things didn\u2019t go my way, but this year, I think I\u2019m pretty happy with where I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Especially being in his native Japan, where Yamamoto will square off against another Japanese standout in Cubs\u2019 left-hander Shota Imanaga.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been staying in touch with Imanaga some, but we haven\u2019t really talked anything about baseball,\u2019\u2019 said Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million contract to move overseas. “But on a stage like this, in Tokyo, facing off with a Japanese pitcher, that\u2019s an incredible opportunity. I\u2019m going to try my best to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yamamoto did his best to have forget that first start.<\/p>\n

He tossed that dud into the dumpster and earned his stripes, going 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA last year. In the Dodgers\u2019 run to the title, he went 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in four appearances.<\/p>\n

\n

L.A. manager Dave Roberts admitted Yamamoto had a clunker in his major-league debut, but what\u2019s telling is how he rebounded. Roberts doesn\u2019t expect a first-start rerun from Yamamoto come Tuesday.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI 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 compete and his character,\u2019\u2019 Roberts said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a heavy lift for a Japanese player to switch leagues and a culture. There are no shortcuts to becoming comfortable. Even one as stellar as Yamamoto.<\/p>\n

\n
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During his seven seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball, Yamamoto had a 1.82 ERA with 922 strikeouts over 897 innings. He was a three-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award, the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t one specific thing, everything was so different, on the field and off the field,\u2019\u2019 Yamamoto said. “But I think I got myself acclimated.<\/p>\n

“This is my second year, I\u2019m not a rookie anymore. So I\u2019d like to get better and be a player who can make a contribution to the team a lot more.<\/p>\n

“I did feel some responsibility for losing the game, but over the course of the whole season, I learned a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts, a Japanese native as well, is upbeat on what lies ahead for his right-hander.<\/p>\n

“I think Yoshinobu has grown up considerably in one year, I really do,\u2019\u2019 Roberts said. “I think he\u2019ll have a tremendous season.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Yamamoto, whose Dodgers\u2019 jersey is second only to Ohtani\u2019s that is being worn by Dodgers boosters in Japan, can push off from the harbor with a strong showing against the Cubs, where he\u2019s not expected to exceed five innings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see it as a lot of support from my fans and I like to turn it into positive energy and carry that to the mound,\u201d Yamamoto said.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s certain is this baseball-crazy nation will focus on every pitch at the Tokyo Dome as two of its own look to shine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during a\u00a0… [+] Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The Los Angeles Dodgers\u2019 Shohei… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nLos Angeles Dodgers Turn To Yoshinobu Yamamoto For The Season Opener - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33563\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Los Angeles Dodgers Turn To Yoshinobu Yamamoto For The Season Opener - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during a\u00a0… [+] Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. 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