The Los Angeles Dodgers’ $325 million man, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, made his spring training debut on Wednesday.
After a tight, three-team race to sign him in late December, and especially after seeing how much he makes, fans across the league were eager to watch him in action in spring training.
He had already dominated the competition in last year’s World Baseball Classic, and has been toying with Japanese hitters for the last seven years.
Still, people were excited to watch him on Wednesday.
It’s safe to say he didn’t disappoint.
“16 strikes on 19 pitches for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who struck out 3 in his spring debut: 2 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 3 Ks,” FOX Sports: MLB tweeted.
16 strikes on 19 pitches for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who struck out 3 in his spring debut
2 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 3 Ks pic.twitter.com/42blkXpyke
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) February 28, 2024
The three-time Pacific League MVP in Japan tossed two quick, scoreless frames.
He only conceded a single hit and didn’t walk anyone, striking out three batters.
Yamamoto is not a pitcher who will flirt with 300 strikeouts per season in MLB, a la Spencer Strider.
That doesn’t mean he isn’t dominant, though: dominance comes in various shapes and forms, and Yamamoto thrives with rock-solid stuff, impeccable command, and pitch sequencing.
He knows how to pitch, and he sure knows how to execute what he wants on the mound.
Armed with a rock-solid fastball that can touch the high-90s, an impressive, bat-missing curveball, a splitter and a cutter, he posted a 1.21 ERA last year in Japan and had a 1.82 ERA in seven seasons there.
He has won collective and individual awards in bunches, and now gets to show his talent in the hardest league of all: MLB.
The regular season hasn’t started, but so far, so good for the right-hander.
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