In an era of starting pitchers going shorter and shorter into the game, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been an outlier. He became the first pitcher since Madison Bumgardner in 2014 to record two complete games in a single postseason.
Yamamoto not only became the first since 2014 to complete two postseason games, but he would also go on to win the 2025 World Series MVP award.
In the seven game series against the Blue Jays, the Japanese ace threw 17.2 innings across three games, allowing just 10 hits, two earned runs, and struck out 15 batters. If not for Yamamoto's dominance in the World Series, the Dodgers could have easily fallen to the Blue Jays and not been crowned World Champions in back-to-back season.
2026 is Yoshi's third season in MLB after spending seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes of the NPB in Japan where he became of the best pitchers of all-time. He earned three straight "Eiji Sawamura" awards which is given to the best starting pitcher in the league, and earned three straight pitching Triple Crowns.
After his phenomenal 2023 season for Orix, the NPB posted him, making him available to sign with an MLB team. The Dodgers gave him an unprecedented 12-year, $325 million contract, and he's been everything they paid for.
The 5'10," 176-pound pitcher has a diverse pitching portfolio, utilizing six different pitches. He has a fastball that nearly reaches 100 MPH consistently, a nasty splitter that so many Japanese pitchers have perfected, a curveball and slider, and a cutter and sinker.
Profile
Full Name | Yoshinobu Yamamoto |
Birthday | August 17, 1998 (27) |
Birthplace | Bizen, Okayama, Japan |
Height | 5'10" |
Weight | 176 lbs |
Throws | Right |
Career Stats
Starts | 48 |
Record | 19-10 |
Innings | 263.2 |
ERA | 2.66 |
Strikeouts | 306 |
Walks | 81 |
MLB Contract
Yamamoto is under contract with the Dodgers until 2035 when he'll be 36 years old.
His contract is a 12-year, $325 million deal that included a $50 million signing bonus.
His salary in 2025 was $20,333,333 million. His contract will pay him $32,166,670 in its final year.
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