For a supervisor, the duty of selecting a beginning pitcher for opening day may be fraught with challenges, particularly if the workforce’s employees is as deep because the one the have.
However for , the choice this spring was a no brainer. With the Dodgers opening their season with two video games in Tokyo, there was by no means actually a doubt Japan’s would pitch the primary sport and rookie the second.
“Fact be advised, it’s his nation,” Roberts mentioned of Yamamoto. “I believe it’s greater than the Dodgers. It’s about baseball, and it makes essentially the most sense for him to begin the primary sport of the season in Tokyo.
“We’re all baseball followers right here. What number of alternatives would you get to pitch for a significant league workforce going again there? That is in all probability a one-time shot for these guys. So, yeah, that is nice.”
Yamamoto, talking by an interpreter, mentioned he appreciated his supervisor’s present of respect.
“I’m very a lot wanting ahead to it. It’s been some time because the final time I pitched there,” mentioned Yamamoto, who final performed within the Japanese league in 2023.
The Dodgers opened final season in Asia as nicely, splitting two video games with the Padres in South Korea. Yamamoto made his big-league debut within the second sport, , yielding 5 runs. Roberts doesn’t assume the second can be too massive for the right-hander this time.
“These Japanese superstars, they’re constructed otherwise,” he mentioned. “Pitching in large video games since they had been younger, pitching within the , understanding expectations, they’re simply actually powerful guys and really resilient.”
Yamamoto, 26, the one participant who has received an Olympic gold medal, World Baseball Basic title and a ring, proved his resilience final season, overcoming that poor debut and a triceps tightness that sidelined him for almost two months to win 9 of his remaining 10 choices, the final coming in when he held the Yankees to 1 hit in 6 1/3 innings.
“Coming again after that begin and pitching the way in which he did, pitching all through the postseason the way in which he did… it was good to see how he responded from final 12 months and grown this 12 months,” Roberts mentioned.
Yamamoto mentioned his rookie season was a studying expertise.
“Final 12 months was my first 12 months and some sudden issues occurred,” he mentioned. “This 12 months I do know what to anticipate.”
Underneath regular circumstances, left-hander , a two-time Cy Younger award winner, in all probability would have been given the respect of the opening day begin. However he mentioned he was comfortable to step apart for Yamamoto and Sasaki; he’s anticipated to begin the Dodgers’ dwelling opener in opposition to the Detroit Tigers on March 27 as an alternative.
“I’m excited for them,” he mentioned. “They get to play in entrance of the individuals. That’s the place they’re from they usually get to indicate their expertise. It’s such an incredible feeling.
“They get to try this and characterize.”
Yamamoto made his fourth and remaining Cactus League look Monday, throwing 75 pitches over 5 innings, giving up a run on 4 hits and putting out seven in a 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Sasaki is scheduled to begin the Dodgers’ Arizona finale in opposition to the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday. The workforce will depart for Japan early Wednesday.
If the highest of the rotation is about, with anticipated to observe Snell because the fourth starter, the ultimate spot stays unsettled. A minimum of publicly.
The main candidates are Tony Gonsolin and Dustin Might, each of whom missed the 2024 season with accidents. And whereas Roberts admitted Monday he’s already picked a winner, he mentioned he wouldn’t announce that till had an opportunity to talk with each gamers.
Whoever will get that slot will proceed making ready for the season in Phoenix quite than touring to Tokyo, the place the Dodgers will play two exhibitions in opposition to Japanese groups along with the 2 regular-season video games with the Cubs.
