| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Yamamoto with theLos Angeles Dodgers in 2024 | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 18 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1998-08-17)August 17, 1998 (age 27) Bizen, Okayama, Japan | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| NPB: August 20, 2017, for the Orix Buffaloes | |
| MLB: March 21, 2024, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| NPB statistics (through 2023 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 70–29 |
| Earned run average | 1.82 |
| Strikeouts | 922 |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 19–10 |
| Earned run average | 2.66 |
| Strikeouts | 306 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Medals | |
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (山本 由伸,Yamamoto Yoshinobu; born August 17, 1998) Nicknamed “The Lion of Okayama” is a Japanese professionalbaseballpitcher for theLos Angeles Dodgers ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played inNippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for theOrix Buffaloes, where he became one of the most decorated pitchers in league history.
Between 2021 and 2023, Yamamoto won three consecutivePacific League Most Valuable Player Awards, threeEiji Sawamura Awards, and threeTriple Crowns, leading the league inwins,strikeouts, andearned run average in each of those seasons. He also threw twono-hitters and was a key figure in Orix's2022 Japan Series championship.
Following the 2023 season, Yamamoto wasposted to MLB and signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers, the largest ever for a pitcher at the time. In his rookie MLB season, he contributed to Los Angeles’2024 World Series title over theNew York Yankees, becoming the first player in baseball history to win a World Series, an Olympic gold medal, and aWorld Baseball Classic title. In 2025, Yamamoto was named to his firstAll-Star team. He then helped the Dodgers win a second consecutive World Series title over theToronto Blue Jays while claiming theWorld Series MVP award in the process. Internationally, he has represented Japan in multiple tournaments, earning gold medals at the2019 WBSC Premier12, the2020 Summer Olympics, and the2023 World Baseball Classic.
Yamamoto made hisNippon Professional Baseball (NPB) debut on August 20, 2017, three days after his 19th birthday, for theOrix Buffaloes of thePacific League. He pitched in eight games for the Buffaloes farm team in theWestern League and made five starts for the main club, with a 2.35 ERA.[1]
In 2018, he pitched primarily in relief, appearing in 60 games, with a 2.10 ERA.[1] He also was selected to appear in theNippon Professional Baseball All-Star Series[2] and finished second inrookie of the year voting.[3] The following season, he returned to the starting rotation, with a 8–7 record, 1.99 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 21 games.[1] In thepandemic shortened 2020 season, he was 8–4 in 18 appearances with a 2.20 ERA.[1]
Yamamoto finished the 2021 season with an 18–5 record and 206 strikeouts across193+2⁄3innings pitched. His 1.39earned run average (ERA) led the league for the season.[4] Yamamoto won thePacific League Most Valuable Player Award following the season.[5]
On June 18, 2022, Yamamoto threw the fourthno-hitter in NPB that year, in a 2–0 win over theSaitama Seibu Lions.[6] In 26 starts for Orix in 2022, Yamamoto registered a 15–5 record and 1.68 ERA with 205 strikeouts in 193 innings pitched. Following the season, he was named theEiji Sawamura Award winner for the second consecutive season.[7] He also won his second consecutive pitchingTriple Crown.
On September 9, 2023, Yamamoto threw his second NPB career no-hitter, blanking theChiba Lotte Marines. He became the first pitcher in NPB history to throw no-hitters in consecutive seasons.[8]
Yamamoto pitched in Game 1 of the2023 Japan Series when he surrendered seven runs in an 8–0 loss. He followed that up with a Game 6 performance in which he threw 138 pitches for a Japan Series-record 14 strikeouts as the Buffaloes tied the series at three games apiece with a 5–1 win.[9][10] On November 5, the same day as the Buffaloes' Game 7 and series-deciding defeat at the hands of theHanshin Tigers, the Buffaloes announced that Yamamoto would beposted to MLB.[11] He was officially posted fifteen days later on November 20.[12]
TheLos Angeles Dodgers signed Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million contract on December 27, 2023. The Dodgers also had to pay a $50.625 million posting fee to the Orix Buffaloes.[13][14][15]
Yamamoto made his major league debut on March 21, 2024, against theSan Diego Padres atGocheok Sky Dome inSeoul, South Korea as part of theMLB World Tour. He allowed five runs on four hits and a walk in only one inning of work with two strikeouts, the first of which wasJurickson Profar.[16] The five runs allowed were the most ever by a Dodgers starter in their major league debut pitching an inning or less.[17] On April 6, against theChicago Cubs, Yamamoto picked up his first MLB win. He struck out eight while allowing just three hits in five scoreless innings, retiring the last ten batters he faced.[18]
On June 15, Yamamoto started against theKansas City Royals, but left only two innings into the game with a strainedrotator cuff in his right shoulder. He was placed on the 15-dayinjured list the next day.[19] He was transferred to the 60–day injured list in July 13.[20] Yamamoto was activated off the injured list on September 10.[21] In 18 starts for the Dodgers in 2024, he was 7–2 with a 3.00 ERA and 105 strikeouts.[22] He made his playoff debut on October 5, in Game 1 of theNational League Division Series, giving up five runs to the Padres in three innings.[23] In his second start of the series, on October 12, he picked up his first postseason win, striking out two and allowed just two hits in five scoreless innings, retiring the last seven batters he faced, as the Dodgers won the series.[24] He then made one start, in Game 4, in theNational League Championship Series, allowing two runs on four hits in4+1⁄3 innings, while striking out eight batters.[25] In Game 2 of the2024 World Series against theNew York Yankees, Yamamoto pitched6+1⁄3 innings, allowing just one run, a solo home run byJuan Soto, on one hit.[26] The Dodgers won the World Series after 5 games.
Yamamoto started for the Dodgers onopening day in 2025 against theChicago Cubs in theMLB Tokyo Series.[27] In the game, he pitched five innings, allowing one run on three hits (an RBI double byMiguel Amaya), and struck out four batters to pick up the win.[28] On April 18, in a win against theTexas Rangers, Yamamoto matched his career high of 10 strikeouts in 7 innings.[29] Yamamoto was named the National LeaguePitcher of the Month for April, after posting a 1.06 ERA through six starts and struck out 43 batters in 34 innings.[30]
Yamamoto was selected to the2025 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, his first all-star appearance in MLB.[31] On September 6, in a game against theBaltimore Orioles, Yamamoto was one out away from throwing ano-hitter when, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning,Jackson Holliday hit a home run for the Orioles and he was removed from the game. He had 10 strikeouts in the game and made it past the seventh inning for the first time in his MLB career.[32] Yamamoto finished the regular season with a 12–8 record in a career high 30 starts, with a 2.49 ERA and struck out 201 batters, his highest total since 2022 in Japan.[22][33]
Yamamoto made his first post-season start of 2025 in Game 2 of theWild Card Series, allowing only two unearned runs in6+2⁄3 innings against theCincinnati Reds, while striking out nine.[22] His next start was in the third game of theNLDS against thePhiladelphia Phillies. He struggled in that game, only striking out two while giving up three runs on six hits in four innings.[34] On October 14, in the 2nd game of theNLCS against theMilwaukee Brewers, Yamamoto gave up a first pitch homer toJackson Chourio before throwing a 111-pitchcomplete game, his first in the MLB. He was the first pitcher to throw his first complete game in the playoffs sinceJosh Beckett in2003. He was also the first Dodgers pitcher to throw a complete game in the playoffs sinceJosé Lima in the2004 NLDS and first sinceJustin Verlander in the2017 ALCS for any team. He allowed only one run on three hits while striking out seven in the game.[35]
In Game 2 of the2025 World Series against theToronto Blue Jays, Yamamoto again threw a complete game, striking out eight while allowing only one run on four hits. He became the first pitcher to throw multiple complete games in the same postseason sinceMadison Bumgarner in2014, the first to do it in back-to-back games sinceCurt Schilling in2001 and the first Dodger to do so sinceOrel Hershiser in1988.[36] He started again in Game 6, pitching six innings, striking out six, and allowing one run on five hits for his second win of the series.[37] One day later, he came out of the bullpen to pitch2+2⁄3 scoreless innings to close out the Dodgers' World Series victory in 11 innings. He was named theWorld Series MVP for his performance, which included three wins, a 1.02 ERA, and 15 strikeouts.[38][39] Yamamoto was the first pitcher to get three road wins in a World Series, the first to be credited with three wins in a World Series sinceRandy Johnson in2001, and the fourth pitcher ever to win Games 6 and 7 (the only one along with Johnson to do so on zero rest)[40]).[41][42]
Yamamoto was named a finalist for the 2025 NLCy Young Award,[43] finishing third in the voting.[44]
Yamamoto has representedJapan in international tournaments, including the2019 WBSC Premier12,[45][46] the2020 Summer Olympics, and the2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). He pitched five times out of the bullpen in the 2019 Premier12, which Japan won. In the Olympics, Yamamoto pitched in two games, allowing two runs and striking out 18 batters in11+2⁄3 innings as Japan won gold in Tokyo.[47] Yamamoto was named to theAll-Olympic Baseball Team.[48]
Yamamoto pitched in two games, starting one, in the 2023 WBC. He allowed two runs in7+1⁄3 innings.[49] Japan again won gold.[50]
Yamamoto is a 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m), 176-pound (80 kg) right-handed pitcher.[51] With a three-quarters delivery,[52] he throws afastball averaging 95 mph (153 km/h),[53] which tops out at 99 mph (159 km/h),[54] a deceptivesplitter, acutter, and acurveball.[52] Prior to playing in MLB, scouts said that his splitter would be a legitimate out-pitch.[52] He also has greatcommand,[55] allowing 2.1 walks per 9 innings in his NPB career[1] and 2.2 walks per 9 innings in his first MLB season.[22]
Yamamoto was born inBizen, Okayama, Japan.[56] His given name, Yoshinobu, combines "Yoshi" from his mother's name and "Nobu" from his father's name.[57]
Yamamoto was born Aug. 17, 1998, in Bizen, Okayama in Japan.
His grandmother chose his name by combining the characters 'Yoshi' from his mother's name and 'Nobu' from his father's.
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Los Angeles DodgersOpening Day Starting pitcher 2025 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | National League Pitcher of the Month April 2025 September 2025 | Succeeded by Robbie Ray Most recent |
Japan national baseball team | |||||||
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