Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto: ‘Mixed Emotions’ on Eve of MLB Debut
The pressure is off the Dodgers to win a game in 2024. Thanks to their 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in Seoul, the Dodgers are 1-0 to begin the regular season.
Not every player has made his regular season debut, however. For one Dodger in particular, there’s quite a bit of pressure to perform before he returns to the United States.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto told reporters, including Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain, that he has strong feelings going into his major league debut Thursday in Seoul, South Korea.
“I do feel a lot of excitement, but also I do feel a bit nervous. I’m having mixed emotions right now. I have to focus on leading team to victory.”
— Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Expectations were high for Yamamoto after the 25-year-old right-hander signed a record $325 million contract with the Dodgers in December. After a strong spring training debut — two shutout innings against the defending champion Texas Rangers — Yamamoto struggled in Cactus League play, finishing with an 8.38 ERA. His fastball was the weakest spot in his arsenal.
But during spring training, his fastball played below its grade — because it was basically the only pitch he threw that batters could actually hit. Of the 16 line drives, fly balls and hard grounders he allowed, 13 of them came off fastballs, and the other three off curveballs. Of those 13 balls in play off fastballs, only one was clearly out of the strike zone.
— via Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com
Where did all that hard contact come from? Yamamoto might have been tipping his pitches, a problem he sought to adjust after his first outing.
“I was trying a couple different things in terms of hand position on the mound. But at this point, I did everything I could do. I did enough adjustment to go into the games, into the season.”
— Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Will the adjustments work? Tune in at 3 a.m. Pacific Time to find out. That’s when Yamamoto is scheduled to be on the mound in Seoul for his major league debut.
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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