One of the most anticipated debuts in baseball history quickly turned sour for the star pitcher. Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a record-breaking 12-year $325 million contract this offseason. Being a star in Japan, he had every team interested in signing him as he transitioned to the MLB. Signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yamamoto became one of the most talked about names in baseball. With so many eyes watching him, Yamamoto did not have the start he wanted.
Yamamoto pitched only a single inning against the San Diego Padres in the Seoul Series. In that inning, he gave up four hits and a walk, for a staggering five runs. The Padres jumped all over him. This certainly wasn’t what was expected when he signed his contract. Yamamoto is coming off three straight sub-two ERA seasons in Japan. Not only was he dominant, but he’s one of the greatest pitchers Japan has ever seen. Fans saw worrying outings from him in spring training but discarded it because it’s spring training. Now that the season’s started, this can not be ignored.
Will Struggles Continue for Yamamoto?
Padres players were jumping on Yamamoto’s fastball. His other pitches have great movement, but his fastball doesn’t. At the major league level players can time a fastball, so putting it in the zone with no movement is a disastrous move.
This will change likely, as the team works with him more. It’s a jump from Japan to America, as he’s now in the top league in the world. The hitters are better so the same tricks won’t work. He has to develop new skills and adapt. This will likely come with time.
Yamamoto’s talent is undeniable, but look for the pitch sequence to change. If his fastball is causing him to struggle, he’ll have to locate it differently. He can’t allow hitters to see it in the zone. He can put it outside the zone and try and get the corner call. He can also use his off-speed to set up the fastball better, keeping the hitters uneasy. If they aren’t expecting a fastball, they’ll be less likely to hit it, even in the zone.
With the talent he possesses, do not expect this to become a trend. But there’s no denying, the debut of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was a complete nightmare.
