(Photo : Koji Watanabe/Getty Images) YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – JULY 31: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #17 of Team Japan seems on earlier than the sport towards Team Mexico throughout the baseball opening spherical Group A recreation on day eight of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium on July 31, 2021 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
The second most necessary free agent out there is not obtainable.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has determined to signal with the Los Angeles Dodgers who sealed the providers of Shohei Ohtani – a very powerful 2024 free agent – earlier this month.
There was an enormous buzz about Yamamoto’s arrival to American and rightfully so.
He will showcase what he is acquired to followers come the opening day. The Dodgers will journey to South Korea on March 20, 2024 for a two-game collection with the San Diego Padres.
For now, listed here are the Top 5 must-know concerning the 25-year-old pitcher:
1. He and Kodai Senga go approach again.
Yamamoto and New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga are acquaintances. The latter got here to the league final 12 months however earlier than that, he spent good years at Nippon Professional Baseball’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Senga tried to hitch the recruitment of Yamamoto by invoking their years collectively within the East Asian league.
“I have known him since he was 20 years old,” Senga stated by an interpreter in August.
“He’s been at the top level since he was very young, and I know he has a ton of talent. He is an amazing player.”
Read extra: Giants Seal $113 Million Deal With Asian-Born Hitter Jung Hoo Lee – Sources
Obviously, that was not sufficient to get the sure of Yamamoto.
2. He boasts of the right-hand model of Kershaw curveball.
Yamamoto’s pitching prowess alone is sufficient to rattle batters. He can do fastball that go mid-to-upper 90s, often reaching 98 or 99 mph. His pitching common is 95 mph.
His killer transfer is one thing many Americans love seeing.
Clayton Kershaw’s curveball is likely one of the most distinctive pitch throws and Yamamoto acquired it, too, though from the suitable aspect.
Dodgers may have their model of Kershaw curveball to root for with the 25-year-old Japanese.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, putting out the aspect with three lovely curveballs 🌈 pic.twitter.com/dnVBJ2VGpG
— David Adler (@_dadler) April 14, 2023
3. He’s received nearly all the pieces there may be in Japan.
At 25 years previous, Yamamoto racked up trophies {that a} Japanese can win.
Orix Buffaloes, his solely workforce within the NPB, received the Japan World Series in 2022 by defeating the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. He pitched towards former MVP Munetaka Murakami.
He additionally owns the worldwide stage. He helped Japan win gold within the Summer Olympics of 2020 over the United States and the 2023 World Baseball Classic towards an identical foe.
4. World Baseball Classic dominance.
He is a world champion however his efficiency within the WBC ought to get a particular point out.
Yamamoto dominated the event held within the USA, Taiwan, and Japan. This is the place followers executives acquired an excellent take a look at Yamamoto’s abilities.
He pitched 4 scoreless innings of one-hit towards Australia together with eight-strikeout baseball.
He was simply as sensational within the semifinals towards Mexico by putting out Alek Thomas, Rowdy Tellez, and Austin Barnes.
5. His particular person awards are aplenty.
If he wins particular person awards in MLB, that must be no shock for anyone as a result of that’s what he does greatest in his younger profession.
He received three straight Triple Crowns, one thing that solely three gamers have accomplished though not successively. They are Sandy Koufax, Walter Johnson, and Grover Cleveland Alexander.
He led the NPB in wins, ERA, and strikeouts in every of the final three seasons that he bagged the Triple Crown.
2021: 18-5, 1.39 ERA, 206 Ok
2022: 15-5, 1.68 ERA, 205 Ok
2023: 16-6, 1.21 ERA, 169 Ok
Yamamoto additionally received three straight Sawamura Awards, the equal of MLB’s Cy Young Award. The solely particular person to win the award three straight instances is Masaichi Kaneda, Japan’s all-time strikeout chief.
Related article: Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Why the Dodgers Are Not His Best Destination
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