Los Angeles Dodgers recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto is starting to show why the team spent massive money on him and more.
The Japanese pitcher showed his incredible pitching skills in the Dodgers' 2-1 win against the Washington Nationals to complete the sweep of their hosts.
The game was extra exciting on Thursday night as, aside from the throws that Yamamoto made, fans witnessed an equally impressive and tense play.
During one play, Yamamoto faced an incredible danger when Eddie Rosario's comebacker, running at 104.8 mph, almost hit him.
The 28-year-old rookie showed an incredible reflex, catching the ball milliseconds before it touched his face.
"Rosario almost murdered Yamamoto," one of the comments on X stated.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto caught a 104.8 MPH comebacker off of Eddie Rosario 😮 pic.twitter.com/aazkjA9G06
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 25, 2024
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared what Yamamoto thought about the play.
"He said he almost died," Roberts said.
"That was pretty funny. Just for him to have a little humor in the middle of a start was good for him to reset. That next pitch, to the next left-handed hitter, he threw a fastball down and away for a strike. He rebounded well."
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's stats are improving
Yamamoto's start to the season was not ideal after allowing five runs on four hits with a walk in his first game, which was held in Seoul.
The team remained patient with him, of course.
"The ultimate goal right now is to just get him comfortable," assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness said about Yamamoto's slow start earlier this month.
"Get him the right routine."
Against the Nationals, he showed glimpses of his greatness from the Nippon Baseball League when he never allowed a runner past second and made four hits and a walk.
He was also able to strike out seven times.
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