Yamamoto great after rocky debut, but Dodgers lose

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s debut with the LA Dodgers, after he secured the largest deal ever for a starting pitcher, lasted only 1 inning and saw him get charged with 5 earned runs, nearly a ¼ of his total in the past campaign that he played in his country. That put a great shadow if the Japanese would be able to play at the same level that he did in Japan in the MLB, as he had 2 rough matches in spring practice.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto dominated in his Dodger Stadium debut. 💪 pic.twitter.com/k8d7eTT0nV

— MLB (@MLB) March 31, 2024

“We believe him, and soon, he will show what he can do,” Los Angeles head coach Dave Roberts shared about his Japanese pitcher, an athlete he is still learning.

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However, making his 2^nd start in 9 days after the awful opener from him in Seoul, he kept the Cardinals scoreless through 5 mostly dominant innings and would have been playing more if it wasn’t for the over half-an-hour rain delay that happened after the 4^th.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto reflects on his Dodger Stadium debut and the adjustments made from his last start. pic.twitter.com/tjC0yL1HKf

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) March 31, 2024