Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto will have an 80-90 pitch limit on Opening Day.
LA will play the Arizona Diamondbacks in their first game of the season.
The Dodgers are likely playing things safe to begin the season, and don’t want to overexert their ace. Yamamoto made three Cactus League appearances for the Dodgers in spring training, and peaked at 68 pitches.
That’s not to say he didn’t have a good spring, though, as Yamamoto finished the preseason with a 2.79 ERA through three appearances. His most recent start came in an exhibition game against the San Diego Padres March 20, where he threw five scoreless innings and struck out seven batter on his way to a win.
Yamamoto is coming off of a fantastic season with the Dodgers, where he posted a 2.49 ERA through 30 starts in 2025. He posted a 0.99 WHIP last season, and reached the 200 strikeouts milestone for the first time in his career. His postseason was even more impressive, as he pitched 37 innings across six games and won World Series MVP after a heroic performance in the Fall Classic.
Who is playing for the Dodgers on Opening Day?
Outside of Yamamoto, the Dodgers rolled out potentially their best lineup for their Opening Day matchup against the D-Backs.
Reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani leads off for the Dodgers as the designated hitter, followed by new arrival Kyle Tucker and All-Star Mookie Betts. first baseman Freddie Freeman will take on a new spot in the lineup as the cleanup hitter, followed by veterans in catcher Will Smtih, third baseman Max Muncy and left fielder Teoscar Hernandez.
Andy Pages is batting eighth in the lineup looking to improve upon a rough end to the 2025 season, and Miguel Rojas will start at second base and bat ninth.
The Dodgers are heavy favorites to win the World Series for a third consecutive year, and will hope to get off to a good start against their division rival behind a solid start from Yamamoto whether he’s on a pitch count or not.
Should the Dodgers let Yamamoto pitch longer than 90 pitches or is it the right decision to play it safe?
