CHICAGO — Yoshinobu Yamamoto found himself in a familiar, dreadful place early on Saturday. His first inning had started much like his major-league debut, with the first three hitters he faced reaching safely. Immediately, Yamamoto was forced to opt for survival rather than dominance.
An inning later, he again backed himself into a corner.
Yamamoto has often worked along a delicate line early in his time as a Los Angeles Dodger. Yet in the moments that have followed his disastrous debut, he’s flashed more than just the premium stuff that made him a $325 million man. He’s shown moxie.
He wouldn’t allow a run in the first. Wouldn’t allow a run in the second, either. And by the time he’d polished off his five scoreless innings (for the second start in a row), Yamamoto had retired each of the last 10 batters he’d faced, catapulting the Dodgers to a 4-1 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
“That’s what everyone expected when you talk about the kind of contract that he got,” Max Muncy said. “It’s been really, really fun to watch.”
As Yamamoto prepared to speak afterward, Mookie Betts emerged and retrieved him from a crowded backdrop in the visiting batting cage of this 110-year-old park. While the Dodgers clubhouse staff was gathering mementos to celebrate Yamamoto’s first win in the major leagues after collecting 75 victories in his dominant run in Japan, the rest of the Dodgers were preparing a beer shower to celebrate.
“I heard a rumor” about the ritual, Yamamoto said through his interpreter, Yoshihiro Sonoda. By the time he returned down the stairs, damp from the drenching, he wore a giant grin.
“That was fast,” he said.
This is what Yamamoto has always been, emerging quickly and prominently as the best pitcher on the other side of the Pacific. That sample size of dominance in his home country was enough to dive in for a massive investment. Time will tell how well it pays off.
“He’s still going to have moments where he’s going to have some dominance, and I think he’s going to have moments where he’s going to get tested,” said pitching coach Mark Prior. But there is still something to learn, not just from his ability to adapt but through his willingness to fight. That will go far.
“He’s shown us a lot,” Muncy said.
Saturday, the Cubs were quick to make Yamamoto stagger back. Ian Happ drove the second fastball Yamamoto threw past Kiké Hernández for a double. A full-count fastball that missed outside to Seiya Suzuki and a two-strike infield single from Cody Bellinger loaded the bases before Yamamoto could record an out.
Two starts ago, this is where the onslaught began, knocking the rookie right-hander out after just one inning. Saturday, it’s where Yamamoto bent the opposing lineup to his will.
“I think he just didn’t want a repeat of Seoul,” manager Dave Roberts said, citing the five runs he gave up in one inning in South Korea in that debut. “You could see it.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Wicked 3 Pitch K Sequence.
All Yo-Yo Curveballs pic.twitter.com/Lh2C22ewdL
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 6, 2024
Yamamoto got Christopher Morel to swing through three consecutive curveballs. His fastball touched 97 mph when he froze Dansby Swanson looking. Michael Busch couldn’t get the bat off his shoulder to swing at another wicked curve as Yamamoto struck out three in a row to get out of the frame without surrendering any damage.
When a Yan Gomes double, another walk and a Max Muncy bobbled grounder with two outs loaded the bases again in the second, Yamamoto again remained firm. Like Busch before him, all Bellinger could do was watch as his curveball floated back into the strike zone.
“It’s as good as any right-handed curveball (in baseball), it really is,” Roberts said before the game.
By the time Yamamoto’s day was done after 80 pitches, no one else had reached base; Roberts cited the odd nature of his abbreviated first start and rain-interrupted second one as the reason why he wasn’t going to let his budding star exceed 85 pitches.
The talent still flashed on the day. He used his fastball with blunt-force power and surgical precision. That brilliant curveball stole strikes and got swings and misses. Despite not appearing to have the best feel for his splitter early, his repertoire shone.
“It’s a full package,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
He struck out eight. The adjustments he made after that first start in Seoul, South Korea once again paid dividends. His reshaped delivery proved difficult to pick up, according to Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner. Each pitch dotted the edges of the plate like it was his canvas.
And he hasn’t allowed a run since.
“I think it’s who he is,” Roberts said. “He’s an artist. Pitching is his craft. When you look at it from that lens, you take pride in being able to make adjustments. He’s not a thrower. He’s a craftsman. So he takes it very seriously.”
It wasn’t a paint-by-numbers start. But Yamamoto has wowed the Dodgers nonetheless.
“When he gets his feet under him,” catcher Austin Barnes said, “I think he’ll be one of the best pitchers in this game.”
GO DEEPER
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is learning to adjust early in his Dodgers career
(Photo of Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
