Oh how far we've come since Yoshinobu Yamamoto's MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in March 2024. The expectations were immense, considering the Dodgers gave Yamamoto the largest contract to a pitcher in baseball history before he threw a pitch in the states. Then, he allowed five runs in one inning, and the overreactions began.
Fast-forward 13 months, and the Japanese sensation is arguably the best pitcher in the league. He's deceiving hitters with an outstanding fastball and an unbelievable splitter, all part of his otherworldly seven-pitch mix that helped him win three MVP awards in Japan.
This season, that repertoire has led to three wins, 38 strikeouts and a 0.93 ERA in five starts. Yamamoto says he feels like his stuff is getting better. That's because it is. Opposing hitters are taking notice, but it doesn’t mean they'll figure him out. The 26-year-old is just getting started.
Everything in Yoshinobu Yamamoto's arsenal is unhittable
A pitcher's ability to keep hitters off-balance and throw multiple pitches for strikes makes him invaluable. No pitcher is displaying those characteristics better than Yamamoto right now. As of April 24, he and Tyler Mahle of the Texas Rangers are the only pitchers with fastball and off-speed run values in the 95th percentile or higher, per Baseball Savant.
Yamamoto's fastball command is impressive. Although it's not generating as much swing-and-miss as last season, he's setting up hitters to be fooled by his money-making splitter that's taken the league by storm.
Yamamoto’s splitter might be the best pitch in baseball. It's producing a whiff rate of 51.4%, with 20 of his 38 strikeouts coming from it. Opponents are hitting .077 against the split-finger, the definition of untouchable. Hitters know it's coming and still can't make contact.
In his last start against the Rangers on April 18, Yamamoto threw his splitter 31 times, inducing seven swings-and-misses and four strikeouts. He outdueled two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, who had an impressive start with seven innings of one-run ball.
Yamamoto was better, though, striking out 10 through seven scoreless innings for his third consecutive quality start. He enters his next outing with 21 straight innings without allowing an earned run.
Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto has become must-watch TV
Amid all the glitz and glamour surrounding the Dodgers' offense, it's Yamamoto's efficiency on the mound that has become the must-see attraction in Chavez Ravine. Sure, you can watch Shohei Ohtani launch a ball into the stands on any given night. However, witnessing Yamamoto mow through some of the best hitters in the sport every five-to-seven days is a privilege that Dodgers fans shouldn’t take for granted.
His last few starts have left the baseball world wanting more. This is what the Dodgers signed up for when they inked Yamamoto to a record-breaking $325 million deal. They won't trot him out there more than once a week, though, mainly because they don’t have to. Los Angeles wants him and the rest of the star-studded pitching staff it assembled fresh for October, ready for another World Series run.
If Yamamoto pitches like this in the playoffs, the Dodgers will be well on their way to another title. What he's doing now is remarkable, and he's done it against some of the best lineups in the league (Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies).
Strap in for what is the beginning of a fantastic MLB career for Yoshinobu Yamamoto.