Last week, Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked like a star in the making in his spring debut.
He tossed two scoreless innings and 16 of his 19 pitches were strikes.
On Wednesday, however, he looked human.
For a day, at least, the Japanese star didn’t look like a guy that just signed a $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Typically lauded for his impeccable command, Yamamoto struggled with walks in this one: MLB insider Bob Nightengale tweeted his stat line.
“Yoshinobu Yamamoto struggles with control in his second outing with the Dodgers: 3 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 58 pitches,” he wrote.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto struggles with control in his second outing with the Dodgers:
3 innings
6 hits
5 runs
5 earned runs
3 walks
4 strikeouts
58 pitches— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 6, 2024
He just didn’t have it on Wednesday.
Nobody on the Dodgers is overly worried, though: it’s spring training, and only his second outing.
Results in spring training don’t matter as much as getting the pitcher to feel comfortable in his new surroundings, work on some things, repeat his delivery, and gradually increase that pitch count.
The idea is for him to get closer to 90-100 for the first couple of starts of the regular season, and he looks well on his way.
Everything else will come with time: Yamamoto, who won three-straight Pacific League MVPs in his native Japan and had a 1.82 ERA in seven seasons there, is just too good not to adjust.
The Dodgers are counting on him to lead their rotation, particularly in 2024 when Shohei Ohtani won’t be able to pitch.
In the end, he will likely justify his hefty salary with excellent performances.
Chances are this one will go down as one of his worst starts of the year.
NEXT: Dodgers Own A Dominant Spring Training Mark