WASHINGTON —
Yoshinobu Yamamoto had his best start in the big leagues Thursday afternoon.
It wasn’t difficult to diagnose the reason why.
During an inconsistent opening month to the $325 million pitcher’s rookie season, Yamamoto’s fastball command was too often lacking. Touted as his most reliable trait during a sterling career in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, the right-hander’s ability to locate the heater — or, more precisely, avoid throwing it down the middle of the strike zone — had eluded him as he posted a 4.50 ERA through his first five starts.
Ahead of Thursday’s series finale against the Washington Nationals on Thursday, it was the dominant topic of conversation during manager Dave Roberts’ availability with reporters.