Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered for the team again on Saturday, August 8th, as he seems to do nearly every time, despite battling an illness.
According to the California Post, Yamamoto got sick after the road trip in New York, which pushed his start back a day.
He lost a total of eight pounds, making the already slender pitcher even slimmer. The extra day of rest allowed him to regain enough strength to pitch and help the Dodgers with his standout start.
Against the Red Sox, despite losing, he pitched eight innings, helping the relievers after a bullpen game, with just three runs allowed.
In the aftermath of his outing, he stayed in Los Angeles rather than traveling to Chicago for the Cubs series and joined the team in Arizona instead.
Yamamoto gave the Dodgers 5.2 scoreless innings on Saturday, allowing three hits and three walks and racking up six punchouts. Given his usual standard, this was a disappointing outing.
He tends to go at least six innings, usually around seven, giving the Dodgers a ton of length and helping the bullpen rest, but he still did his job.
How is Yamamoto feeling now?
After his latest start, Yamamoto spoke about how he feels now, especially since the weight loss and loss of strength can impact any player, especially a starting pitcher
“I was able to come back without any problems, and I was able to practice, so I didn’t feel any changes,” he said, via his translator.
“The sickness happened before the last outing, so I was able to make a usual preparation.”
Yamamoto has an inexplicable ability to heal, allowing him to throw so many pitches and keep himself upright for the most part.
After a World Series where he put his right arm on the line, Yamamoto has not missed a beat this season, both in terms of games and his performance.
He does not have the flashy strikeout numbers as other elite pitchers, but he is one of the most trusted pitchers in baseball, and powering through things like his recent illness illustrates what makes him special.
