Yamamoto (1-1) allowed two runs on four hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch while striking out two over six innings to take the loss versus the Guardians on Wednesday.
Yamamoto was outdueled by Gavin Williams, who struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings. Yamamoto's missteps came in the third inning, as Daniel Schneemann doubled, stole third and scored on an errant throw before Gabriel Arias went yard for a solo home run. This was still a second straight quality start for Yamamoto, who has allowed four runs on nine hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over 12 innings in his first two outings of the season. The star right-hander allowed just 14 home runs over 173.2 regular-season innings across 30 starts last season, so he should be able to get that under control after giving up a long ball in each of his starts in 2026. The Dodgers are using a six-man rotation for the week ahead, but with extra rest built in for Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto is tentatively projected to make his next start in Toronto.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Nabs Opening Day victory
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Yamamoto (1-0) notched the win against Arizona on Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out six batters over six innings.
Yamamoto was rewarded for his MVP performance during last season's World Series with a second straight Opening Day start and guided the defending champs to a campaign-opening victory. He fell behind on a two-run Geraldo Perdomo homer in the fourth inning, but Los Angeles was able to storm back for four runs in the fifth, and the Japanese hurler otherwise kept the Diamondbacks from crossing home plate. Yamamoto threw 63 of 95 pitches for strikes while going just deep enough to notch a quality start. His second start is lined up to take place at home against Cleveland next week.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Dazzles in final spring tune-up
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Yamamoto tossed five scoreless innings against the Padres in a Cactus League start Friday, allowing three hits and issuing one walk while striking out seven batters.
Yamamoto took the mound for the Dodgers for the first time since returning from his tenure with Team Japan during the World Baseball Classic. Though it should be noted that San Diego fielded a split-squad lineup, the right-handed hurler looked sharp, tossing 44 of 68 pitches for strikes and racking up seven punchouts. Yamamoto's next trip to the mound will be for Los Angeles' Opening Day matchup versus Arizona next Thursday.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Named Opening Day starter
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Manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Yamamoto will start the Dodgers' March 26 season opener versus the Diamondbacks in Los Angeles, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Yamamoto will receive his second straight Opening Day nod after he dazzled with a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 201:59 K:BB during the 2025 regular season and then went on to take home World Series MVP honors in the playoffs. He'll square off with Zac Gallen and the Diamondbacks in 10 days.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Starting in WBC quarterfinals
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Yamamoto will start Team Japan's World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game against Venezuela on Saturday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
After the game, Yamamoto will travel back to Phoenix to rejoin the Dodgers in spring training. With the game Saturday being his final game for Japan in the WBC, the right-hander will then focus on getting ready for the start of the regular season.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Set for three innings in WBC opener
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Yamamoto is slated to throw three innings for Team Japan in Friday's World Baseball Classic game versus Team Chinese Taipei, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Yamamoto also went three frames in his second Cactus League outing. The right-hander is scheduled for multiple turns for Team Japan and is tentatively penciled in to be the Dodgers' Opening Day starter March 26 against the Diamondbacks, though Roberts has held off on making that official.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Tosses 1.2 frames in spring debut
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Yamamoto completed 1.2 innings against the Angels in a Cactus League contest Saturday, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and no walks while striking out three batters.
Fresh off a memorable World Series against Toronto during which Yamamoto picked up three wins and was named the series MVP, the right-handed hurler kicked off the Dodgers' spring slate as the team's starting pitcher. He breezed through a 1-2-3 first inning but gave up a couple runs in the second, due in part to a fielding error in the outfield. Nonetheless, Yamamoto didn't look rusty in the outing, throwing 22 of 30 pitches for strikes. Yamamoto will pitch for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, but he may first draw another Cactus League start Friday against the Giants, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Quality start in Game 6 win
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Yamamoto picked up the win Friday in Game 6 of the World Series against the Blue Jays, allowing one earned run on five hits and a walk while striking out six batters over six innings.
Although Yamamoto wasn't able to record a third straight complete game, he still proved to be as dominant as ever in Game 6, allowing just one run on a George Springer RBI single in the third. Yamamoto seemed to be at risk of allowing a few more runs in the sixth after giving up a two-out double to Vladimir Guerrero and walking Bo Bichette, but a well-timed strikeout of Daulton Varsho allowed the right-hander to escape the inning unscathed. The Japanese All-Star will almost certainly be unavailable for Saturday's series finale after throwing 96 pitches Friday, so he'll likely finish his second MLB postseason with a 1.56 ERA and 0.78 WHIP alongside a 32:5 K:BB after 34.2 innings.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Tosses another complete game
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Yamamoto (3-1) earned the win over Toronto in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out eight batters over nine innings.
Yamamoto's outing got off to a shaky start, as he gave up a double and a single to the first two batters he faced to put runners on the corners for Toronto. However, the right-hander was able to wiggle his way out of the frame without getting scored upon, thanks in part to a key strikeout of Vladimir Guerrero. Yamamoto was touched up for a run in the third on a hit-by-pitch, single and sacrifice fly, but that was the last time the Blue Jays put a runner on base against him. The Japanese hurler finished his outing by retiring 20 consecutive batters, establishing a Dodgers postseason record, per Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com. In addition, Yamamoto -- who also hurled a complete game against Milwaukee in Game 2 of the NLCS -- became the first Dodger to toss back-to-back postseason complete games since Orel Hershiser in 1988 and the first pitcher on any team to do so since Curt Schilling in 2001.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Goes distance in Game 2
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Yamamoto picked up the win Tuesday against the Brewers in Game 2 of the NLCS, giving up one run on three hits and a walk while striking out seven batters over nine innings.
Jackson Chourio sent Yamamoto's first pitch over the right-field wall to give Milwaukee a quick 1-0 lead. That would prove to be the only mistake the 27-year-old right-hander made Tuesday, as he allowed just three men to reach base for the rest of the game while recording all 27 outs by himself on only 111 pitches. The earliest that Yamamoto could potentially be called upon to make his next start would be Game 6, but that may not be necessary with the Dodgers already up two games to none as the series moves to Los Angeles.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Expected to get ball in Game 2
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Yamamoto is set to draw the start in Game 2 of the NLCS versus the Brewers on Tuesday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.
Yamamoto will get the ball for the third time in the playoffs, having allowing three runs on 10 hits and three walks while striking out 11 batters over 10.2 innings in two starts so far. The right-hander faced Milwaukee on the road July 7, surrendering five runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks while recording just two outs before being removed from the game. Yamamoto will now be looking to get his redemption in Game 2.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Secures series win
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Yamamoto earned the win over the Reds on Wednesday in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series. He was charged with two unearned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out nine over 6.2 innings.
Cincinnati scored a couple runs in the first inning, but Teoscar Hernandez's fielding error kept both runs off Yamamoto's ledger. Yamamoto escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth and ended up throwing a career-high 113 pitches in the series-clinching win, sending the Dodgers to the NLDS. Yamamoto figures to start Game 3 against the Phillies at home next Wednesday, Oct. 8.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Getting nod in Game 2
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Yamamoto will start Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Reds on Wednesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Yamamoto finished off the regular season on a high note, tossing 11.1 scoreless frames while striking out 14 in his last two appearances. The 27-year-old drew four starts in the postseason a year ago, posting a 3.86 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with a 15:6 K:BB across 18.2 innings.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Ends regular season on high note
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Yamamoto (12-8) earned the win against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out seven across six scoreless innings.
Yamamoto walked six batters in his last start against the Giants on Sept. 18. He was in more control in Thursday's win with just two free passes and finished his outing strong by retiring seven of the last eight batters he faced. Yamamoto yielded one run or zero while logging at least seven strikeouts in each of his last five starts, and he'll end the regular season with a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 201:59 K:BB across 173.2 innings. His efforts helped the Dodgers clinch the NL West and he will headline the team's rotation heading into the postseason.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Wild but successful in no-decision
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Yamamoto allowed one hit and six walks while striking out seven over 5.1 scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Giants on Thursday.
Yamamoto put too much traffic on the basepaths with a season-high six walks, but he kept it from hurting by posting his third straight start allowing just one hit. This was also a fourth consecutive no-decision for the right-hander, which is massively unfortunate considering he's allowed just three runs over 28 innings in that span. He's now at a 2.58 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 194:57 K:BB through 167.2 innings across 29 starts this season. Yamamoto is projected for one more regular-season start, which would give him a chance to go for a 200-strikeout season against the Diamondbacks next week.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Falls one out shy of no-hitter
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Yamamoto did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Orioles, allowing one run on one hit and two walks with 10 strikeouts over 8.2 innings.
Yamamoto came within one out of recording 2025's first no-hitter before Jackson Holliday spoiled the bid with a solo homer, and the Dodgers' bullpen couldn't close things out after his exit. The 27-year-old was dominant regardless, racking up 23 whiffs on 112 pitches and logging 10 strikeouts for the second straight start. He'll take a 2.72 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 177:50 K:BB across 155.1 innings into a road matchup with the Giants next weekend.
Yamamoto (10-8) took the loss against the Angels on Monday, pitching 4.2 innings during which he allowed six runs on six hits and five walks while striking out six batters.
Yamamoto fell behind quickly, as the first pitch he threw was knocked by Zach Neto for a home run. The All-Star hurler gave up another run in the first but looked to get back on track with three straight scoreless frames. However, the Angels chased Yamamoto in the fifth, compiling four hits -- all singles -- along with a hit-by-pitch and a walk en route to four runs. Though the Neto homer was the only extra-base hit Yamamoto allowed, he didn't do himself any favors by issuing five free passes, tying a season-high mark. The six runs were the most Yamamoto has given up all year, and his overall ERA bumped up from 2.51 to 2.84 as a result.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Blanks Tampa in 10th win
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Yamamoto (10-7) earned the win Sunday over the Rays, allowing five hits and no walks over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out six.
Yamamoto has been excellent of late, allowing just four runs over 24.2 innings in his last four starts. His ERA is down to 2.51 with a 1.04 WHIP and 139:39 K:BB across 22 starts (122 innings) this season. The 26-year-old Yamamoto will look to keep rolling in his next outing, tentatively scheduled to come next week at home against the AL East-leading Blue Jays.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Fans eight in no-decision
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Yamamoto allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out eight over five innings in a no-decision versus the Twins on Tuesday.
All three runs were scored in the second inning. Yamamoto wasn't that efficient, throwing 101 pitches (65 strikes) in this start, but he turned in a decent performance. He's allowed nine runs (five earned) across 24.2 innings over his last five starts, which includes one where he didn't escape the first frame. Yamamoto is now at a 2.55 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 124:37 K:BB through 109.1 innings across 20 starts this season. His next start is tentatively projected to be at Cincinnati early next week.
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Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Rebounds with seven shutout frames
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Yamamoto allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven over seven scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Giants on Sunday.
Yamamoto was chased in the first inning of his last start versus the Brewers on Monday, so this was a fantastic bounce-back effort. After a dominant first two-plus months of the season, Yamamoto has been less of a sure thing, posting a 3.57 ERA over his last eight starts (40.1 innings), a span that includes three starts of four or more runs allowed. Altogether, he's at a 2.59 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 116:36 K:BB through 104.1 innings over 19 starts. He won't participate in the All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday since he pitched Sunday, but he'll be ready to go whenever his turn comes up as the Dodgers host three-game series versus the Brewers and Twins coming out of the break.
