Steve Webb
ARLINGTON, TX — After the Dodgers’ 3-0 shutout victory over the Texas Rangers, manager Dave Roberts had high praise for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who went toe-to-toe with Jacob deGrom and emerged victorious in one of the most exciting pitching duels of the season. “Man, he was good tonight,” Roberts said. “Really good team, good lineup. He just had his entire pitch mix working. He elevated his game to another level.” Yamamoto threw seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and walking none, in what Roberts called the best outing of his season so far.
Roberts highlighted how Yamamoto’s full arsenal was on display. “The fastball was commanded, had life. The split was great. Slider, curveball, all that stuff,” he said. “I thought Will [Smith] did a fantastic job with him, and it was just fun to watch him compete.” In a game that stayed 1-0 for most of the night, Roberts said every pitch mattered. “There wasn’t much stress. His stuff didn’t waver at all, and he earned that opportunity to start the seventh inning and got a big double play ball.” He added, “I still thought there was more in there.”
When asked whether this was Yamamoto’s most complete performance, Roberts didn’t hesitate. “I think so,” he said. “If you look at it in totality… his stuff tonight, I thought this was his best outing.” Roberts also noted that Yamamoto used his curveball and slider more than usual, a sign of growing confidence and adaptability. “He used his entire repertoire tonight,” he said.
Facing a legend like deGrom seemed to fuel Yamamoto’s fire. “There’s a sense of pride,” Roberts said. “He’s one of the game’s best, and I know Yoshi’s followed him for years. You want to go toe-to-toe with a Cy Young winner on the road—and he did that.” According to Roberts, Yamamoto’s progression this season is all about confidence. “There’s no more unknown,” he explained. “Being here in the States, understanding how his stuff plays against Major League hitters… his environment, his surroundings. And with all that, the confidence—it’s real. He’s got so much conviction with every pitch he makes.”
Roberts also addressed the topic of pitch counts, having left Yamamoto in for 100 pitches for the second time this season. “That shoulder issue from last year is behind us,” he said. “He’s been going once a week, and just talking to Mark Prior and the training staff, we feel like his body’s in a good place. So we can push him a little bit. Last year was about getting his feet under him. Now, I feel like I can let him go.”
As for whether Yamamoto is the Dodgers’ ace, Roberts was cautious but complimentary. “He’s pitching like it,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of aces, and we’ve got a guy who’s going to be coming up with one or two Cy Youngs, but [Yamamoto] is a pretty good top-end pitcher for sure.” When asked about Yamamoto’s stated goal of winning a Cy Young, Roberts didn’t shy away: “There’s a lot of time, but I do think that right now he’s the best pitcher in the National League.”
Roberts also took a moment to acknowledge deGrom’s performance. “His command is unbelievable—unstoppable—one of the best pitchers in the game,” he said. “We didn’t scratch. Tommy [Edman] hit a homer, and after that, [deGrom] kept us at bay. We really didn’t have an answer for him tonight.” The game was a classic pitchers’ duel, and Roberts appreciated the spectacle. “It was old-school. Fun to watch.”
In a final note, Roberts praised Max Muncy’s defensive plays late in the game. “He’s in a really good headspace,” Roberts said. “Swinging the bat better, getting on base a lot, and he made some really nice plays for us tonight.” On the tricky final play where Josh Jung didn’t run out a grounder, Roberts added, “I just appreciate the way [Muncy] played it out and wasn’t an umpire. It did start foul, came back, and the umpires got it right. Fortunately, we saved Tanner some pitches and won a ball game.”
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