Yoshinobu Yamamoto Faces a Challenging Season Ahead
TEMPE, Ariz. — The upcoming season may be one of the most demanding of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s career.
Next month marks the World Baseball Classic, and more than six months have passed since the MLB regular season wrapped up. Should the Dodgers achieve their postseason aspirations, Yamamoto could find himself in three to four additional series.
This follows a playoff performance where Yamamoto delivered complete games in consecutive starts and concluded Game 7 just a day after starting Game 6 of the World Series.
While Yamamoto tackled questions about his 2/3 inning in the Dodgers’ Cactus League opener against the Angels, his coach, Osamu Yada, asserted from across the clubhouse at Tempe Diablo Stadium that the right-handed pitcher will maintain good health over the next eight months.
“Everyone has worries,” Yada stated in Japanese. “Still, I think we’re now more relieved than worried.”
Yada, who has coached Yamamoto since his teenage years with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan, has guided him from a pitcher who took the mound every ten days to a reliable player capable of pitching nearly every day. Interestingly, Yada never pushed Yamamoto to bulk up with weights, but instead introduced him to unique training routines like handstands and javelin throws.
No matter the challenges of the upcoming season, Yamamoto faced an even tougher winter, Yada remarked. Training under Yada’s supervision, Yamamoto worked six-hour sessions six times a week.
“In December and January, he pushes himself until he’s completely spent,” Yada explained.
This training regimen is tailored not for quick recovery every six or seven days, but to ensure Yamamoto is in peak form by the season’s latter half.
On the topic of Yamamoto’s increased muscle mass, Yada noted it came about naturally.
“He didn’t do anything specific to bulk up,” Yada mentioned.
Trainers lightheartedly remarked that Yamamoto resembled a dominant figure, joking, “As soon as you become the boss, you grow bigger.”
Last offseason, Yamamoto entered as the World Series MVP, earning that authoritative status. Shohei Ohtani regarded him as the best pitcher globally, and manager Dave Roberts frequently mentioned him as a Cy Young Award contender.
Yet, Yamamoto’s situation echoes that of Orel Hershiser, who previously had a similar postseason experience with the Dodgers. Hershiser, now 67, was celebrated during the 1988 World Series. At that time, the postseason comprised just two rounds, and Hershiser pitched five games, completing three of those. He even secured a shutout in the National League Championship Series.
Hershiser’s legacy is marked not just by his remarkable achievements but also by the toll it took on him. Just two years post his MVP win, he injured his shoulder.
Dodgers Management Remains Optimistic
Despite potential concerns regarding Yamamoto’s health, Roberts approaches the matter with a level of calm. Whatever the team’s stance, Yamamoto is determined to represent Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
Even if an injury were to sideline him for three months in 2024, Roberts expressed confidence, drawn from his experiences over the last two seasons, that he wouldn’t compromise Yamamoto’s health.
“From the day we signed him, we noticed his dedication to his craft and his health,” Roberts stated.
He also added, “There’s no scientific reason for an early launch.”
During the game against the Angels, Yamamoto clocked a 94.9 mph fastball, successfully striking out two batters in a flawless first inning. However, by the middle of the second, with the Dodgers down six runs, a significant error from left fielder Teoscar Hernandez led to two runs allowed.
Yamamoto plans to participate in another Cactus League game before heading to Osaka for Japan’s national training camp. He is slated to start in the WBC’s opening match against Taiwan on March 6th.
Yada feels confident about Yamamoto’s progress, suggesting he has a good sense of how the pitcher will be feeling at different points in the season. He likened Yamamoto’s offseason efforts to planting a seed.
“The buds appear in spring, flowers bloom in summer, and fruits ripen in fall,” explained Yada. “The same cycles apply here. Over the years, you start to see how that rhythm plays out through the year.”
He pointed toward the end of summer, encouraging anticipation. “Look forward to it,” he said with a gracious bow.
By then, Yamamoto is expected to have reached his peak performance.
