On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers came from behind to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 after extra innings in a dramatic deciding seventh game of the World Series, and in doing so, became the first team to defend the title in a quarter of a century. They are also the first team in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to win the World Series with three Japanese players in their roster: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
Yamamoto for the Dodgers in 2024 | Wikimedia / Joe Glorioso
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Stars a Day After Throwing 96 Pitches
Yamamoto, in particular, was in inspired form for the Dodgers, deservedly winning the series’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. The day after he threw 96 pitches for his second win of this year’s World Series, the Japanese superstar stepped up to the plate again to fire 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to settle the game for his team. In Game 2, he pitched a four-hit complete match as the Dodgers tied the series 1-1. He also went the distance in his postseason game prior to that one.
“It’s unheard of,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, “and I think that there’s a mind component, there’s a delivery, which is a flawless delivery, and there’s just an unwavering will. I just haven’t seen it. I really haven’t. You know, all that combined. And there are certain players that want moments and there are certain players that want it for the right reasons. But Yoshi is a guy that I just completely and implicitly trust, and he’s made me a pretty dang good manager.”
Signed from the Oricon Buffaloes for a staggering $325 million dollar contract — the largest ever for a pitcher at the time — Yamamoto arrived in LA with huge expectations. He made his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres in Seoul on March 21, 2024. To say it went badly would be an understatement. He lasted just one inning, allowing five runs, with an ERA of 45.00. Of the 43 pitches he threw, only 23 were strikes. Coach Dave Roberts wasn’t overly concerned about Yamamoto’s start, though, stating “that you know he’ll bounce back from this.”
Rallying After a Tough Start
Roberts was proved right. Yamamoto made 17 more starts and by the end of the 2024 season, his ERA was an impressive 3.00. In Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees that year, he stifled the opposition batters, allowing just one hit across 6 1/3 innings in the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory. The LA side went on to win the series 4-1. The triumph came just over a year and a half after he helped his country win the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Yamamoto, who also won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and the Japan Series with the Buffaloes, continued to show fine form for the Dodgers this year, finishing the regular season with a 2.49 ERA in 30 starts. His performances in the postseason, though, were extra special. After Game 2 of the World Series, shortstop Mookie Betts described him as “amazing,” adding, “I’ve been playing a long time, but I haven’t ever seen anything like this.”
Following Game 7, Ohtani called Yamamoto “the No. 1 pitcher in the whole world.” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was equally effusive in his praise. “For him to have the same stuff that he had the night before is really the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever seen on a Major League Baseball field,” he said.
