Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will pitch for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, per Yahoo! News Japan.
Yamamoto’s status for the WBC has been under question all offseason, with the Dodgers wanting to ensure he’d be healthy come the beginning of the 2026 season, especially after the prolonged season the Dodgers had.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman met with Team Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata during the Winter Meetings to discuss the participation of the Dodgers’ Japanese players.
“We’re very supportive of Samurai Japan and all that they’re trying to accomplish, and they’re very supportive of us,” Friedman said. “It was about just keeping open the lines of communication, the mutual respect and working together to help all sides.”
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Yamamoto had a masterful 2025 season, taking a huge step forward from an already impressive rookie campaign. he had a 2.49 ERA through 30 starts, recording 201 strikeouts through 173.2 innings pitched. He made his first All-Star Game and placed third in NL Cy Young award voting.
The right-hander took over the postseason, keeping a 1.45 ERA through six appearances and throwing 37.1 innings across his outings. He earned the World Series MVP award for his stellar performance across three games in the Fall Classic.
Yamamoto will join Shohei Ohtani on the roster, as the superstar already declared he’d be participating in the tournament. Roki Sasaki will miss the WBC after missing a significant portion of the 2025 season with a shoulder injury.
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Yamamoto had a solid showing in his first WBC in 2023, pitching 7.1 innings across two appearances. He struck out 12 batters in that time, allowing two runs for a 2.45 ERA. Japan won the their record third tournament that season, and will aim for their fourth with Yamamoto and Ohtani in their ranks.
Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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