Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers, starts a practice session at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Friday, March 14, 2025, as the Dodgers play their MLB opening games against the Chicago Cubs at the venue next week. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOKYO (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto knows what it's like to travel across the world to take the mound for his first start of the Major League Baseball season.
It's safe to say the first attempt didn't go very well.
But the Japanese right-hander bounced back from that brutal 2024 MLB debut in South Korea — where he gave up five runs in just one inning against the San Diego Padres — and ended up being a crucial part of a team that captured a World Series title by beating the New York Yankees in five games.