Several teams were interested in five-time NPB All-Star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto when he became available this offseason. The New York Yankees, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants were all rumored to be circling around the 25-year-old star pitcher from Japan. In the end it was the Los Angeles Dodgers that loosened the purse strings to sign the talented right-handed pitcher.
The Dodgers obviously saw something special in Yamamoto when they signed him to a record 12-year, 325 million deal to bring him to Los Angeles to accompany Shohei Ohtani. Yamamoto is one of the biggest names in Japanese baseball and a contract that equates to 27 million yearly seems like a steal for a player that won the NPB Triple Crown on three occasions.
Unfortunately, Yamamoto’s first regular season start did not go as planned. The newly-signed pitcher lasted just 1 inning before being pulled by manager Dave Roberts. The starter was rocked by the San Diego Padres lineup during Thursday’s game in Seoul.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has allowed five earned runs in his first MLB inning pic.twitter.com/qxUgZ4Xk2v
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 21, 2024
The Dodgers starter gave up four hits and five earned runs in the first inning to put his team in a hole they could not climb out of. The Padres went on to win the game 15-11 to earn their first win of the season.
“I feel regret that I just couldn’t keep the team in the game from the get-go,” said Yamamoto through an interpreter. “So I do feel a responsibility for it. Like I said, I just have to get ready for the next outing.”
The Dodgers will hope the Japanese star, who has just arrived in California, can make some adjustments in the coming weeks.
