Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers Manager Praise Yamamoto After 1st Home Start of $325M Contract

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVMarch 31, 2024

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night, 6-5 in 10 innings, but starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was dealing in his Dodger Stadium debut.

He finished with just two hits allowed and no runs or walks across five innings, striking out five. It was a far cry from his disastrous first MLB start in the Seoul Series, which saw him give up four hits and five runs in just one inning before being pulled.

FOX Sports: MLB @MLBONFOXYoshinobu Yamamoto’s curveball 🤯

(via @PitchingNinja)pic.twitter.com/vjkutu5YDp

“You lose a ballgame, it never feels good, but the main takeaway for us is that Yoshinobu had a tremendous night,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. “That was the most positive thing for all of us … He was really good tonight. This is what we saw the first few weeks in spring training and obviously seeing him on video the last couple of years.”

“Obviously excellent, overall, excellent,” superstar Shohei Ohtani added through his new interpreter, Will Ireton. “Just wanted to put up a little bit more support early in the game, and wanted to give him a win.”

The Dodgers gave Yamamoto a massive 12-year, $325 million contract in free agency, part of a huge winter that also saw the team sign Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández and acquire Tyler Glasnow in a trade before signing him to an extension.

And on Saturday, he looked like the pitcher the Dodgers were expecting when they made such a massive financial commitment.