The Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation has no shortage of superstars.
Between Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Rōki Sasaki and Dustin May, the Dodgers have an ace on the mound every day — not to mention that Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw are still working their way back, too. However, so far, it has been Yamamoto who is emerging as the team’s best pitcher, and that is great news for Japan as the World Baseball Classic gets closer.
Yamamoto has a 0.93 ERA in five starts this season. His last outing featured 10 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings against the Texas Rangers. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Yamamoto as the best pitcher in the National League after the game.
“He’s pitching like it,” Roberts told Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register when asked if Yamamoto has reached “ace” status. “I feel we’ve got a lot of aces, and got a guy who’s gonna come off (the Injured List) that won two Cy Youngs (Blake Snell).
“There’s a lot of time, but I do think that right now, he’s the best pitcher in the National League. Now, (Paul) Skenes is pretty good too, so no disrespect.”
Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason. Those figures signified the trust the Dodgers had in him after seeing the success he had in seven seasons pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Last season, Yamamoto had a 4.50 ERA after his first five starts, a drastic difference from where he is now. Yamamoto finished the season with a 3.00 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 18 games. He had a 3.86 ERA in the postseason.
Yamamoto’s success in Major League Baseball should be a great sign for Samurai Japan. In 2023, Yamamoto was a key piece in Japan’s path to the WBC title. He had the second-most strikeouts in the tournament, 12, and a 2.45 ERA.
The rest of the world should be on notice because Yamamoto is now dominating the best players in the world on a regular basis. The 26-year-old will be a major part of Samurai Japan’s quest for back-to-back World Baseball Classic titles.
Photo: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) throws during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, March. 4, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)
