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When the Dodgers signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto in December, it sent shockwaves throughout baseball. They gave him a 12-year, $325 million contract, making him the highest-paid pitcher in total value. They did this without him having thrown a pitch in Major League Baseball.
That’s not to say he did not earn that contract. He’s won the NPB MVP and Sawamura Award – NPB Cy Young equivalent – three times. He also has a career 1.72 ERA in seven seasons in Japan.
He sat down with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA to discuss what he’s looking forward to while playing in MLB. Yamamoto appears to embrace the new challenge of a new league.
“I am looking forward to facing players on a different level, a higher level.”
Yamamoto headlines a star-studded Dodgers rotation that includes Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller and Clayton Kershaw. In previous interviews, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes has praised Yamamoto’s pitch mix and his ability to command the baseball.
This spring training will mark the first time Yamamoto will face MLB players since the World Baseball Classic. In the World Baseball Classic, he struck out 12 batters in 7.1 innings and only allowed two runs.
Fans will get their first look at Yamamoto in Dodger Blue in Korea when they open the season against the Padres.
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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