Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto (26) is gradually adjusting to the major leagues.
The right-hander picked up his third win of the season on Feb. 2 against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, with six innings of five-hit ball, two walks and five strikeouts. The Dodgers went on to win 8-0.
With a career record of 70-29 with a 1.82 ERA in 172 games (897 innings) in Nippon Professional Baseball, Yamamoto is one of Japan’s top aces. Last season, he went 16-6 with a 1.23 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 23 games (164 innings), becoming the first pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball history to win four pitching awards in three consecutive years (wins, ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage) while also winning the Sawamura Award and Pacific League MVP for the third consecutive year. After finishing as the runner-up in the Japan Series last year, Yamamoto made the jump to the major leagues via free agency, signing a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers, 안전놀이터 추천 surpassing Gerrit Cole (Yankees, 9 years, $324 million) as the largest contract for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history.
In his first start of the season, a two-game series against San Diego at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Yamamoto struggled, allowing five runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two in one inning. However, he has since rebounded with three wins and a 1.64 ERA in his last six starts.
Yamamoto threw 94 pitches in his outing.
He threw a four-seam (37 pitches), a splitter (27 pitches), a curve (22 pitches), and a cutter (8 pitches), and his fastball reached 97.2 miles per hour (156.4 km/h). His splitter dominated Arizona hitters with a 47% swing rate.
“Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched six innings of five-hit, no-strikeout ball against Arizona to earn his third straight win,” said Japanese media outlet Sportshochi. In the fourth inning, his fastball hit 97.2 mph, his highest since joining the majors. His streak of 15 consecutive scoreless innings, which began in the fourth inning against the Mets on April 20, continued,” said Yamamoto.
BaseballSabermetrics, the official Major League Baseball statistical site, lists Yamamoto as throwing four pitches – a four-seam, splitter, curveball, and cutter – but SportsHochi reported that Yamamoto threw a slider, saying, “Yamamoto unleashed a slider in addition to his four pitches on the day.” “I haven’t thrown (a slider) until now, but I used to throw it (in Japan), so it’s not particularly unusual,” Yamamoto said. Catcher Austin Barnes, who received the ball from Yamamoto, said, “I threw a couple sliders in the last inning (the sixth) and it was nice to have some break. It’s an interesting pitch.”
“I’ve definitely been able to stay calm and make my pitches,” Yamamoto said. I think that’s why I’m pitching well. 카지노사이트 I had a lot of good pitches and my feel is getting really clear. I’m throwing a lot of pitches with good feel, both changeups and fastballs. It would be nice to stay in good shape and get a little bit better,” he said, expressing confidence for the rest of the season.