Dodgers Interview: Yamamoto feeling confident as he heads to Japan

SCOTTSDALE, AZ– Yoshinobu Yamamoto wrapped up his spring work on Friday with one last tune-up before he heads to Japan for the World Baseball Classic. The line wasn’t perfect, two runs on five hits over three innings, but the bigger point was simple: he got his pitch count to 52, got useful work in, and walked away feeling strong. After the game, Yamamoto sounded calm and methodical about where he is right now, and Dave Roberts echoed that same theme from the dugout as the Dodgers send their ace off to play for Team Japan.

“My physical condition is really good,” Yamamoto said. “In the first inning, my control was a little… I couldn’t really locate where I wanted, and it became a more approximate kind of pitching. But around the middle of the second inning, I remembered some things in the flow of the game, and from there I was able to throw to good spots.”

That shift from “feel” in the bullpen to “feel” on the mound is usually what spring outings are about, and Yamamoto talked about it like a pitcher who knows how to move through a ramp-up. He also said the shorter offseason didn’t rattle him, even if he felt a different kind of fatigue. “I’ve had this experience a few times, so I was able to move forward calmly, step by step,” he said. “More than anything I’ve felt before, it was mental fatigue, not my body. But I was able to refresh, and I knew what I needed to do, so I did things one by one.”

When he was asked how he feels heading into the WBC, Yamamoto kept it grounded. “It feels good,” he said, then added that the excitement hasn’t fully hit yet. “I don’t really feel it yet,” Yamamoto said. “I’ve been able to build up smoothly, so I want to take it day by day, carefully. I want to go in a planned way.”

He said the innings and pitch limits for the tournament are something he’s already discussing with Team Japan. “We’re deciding that while we talk,” Yamamoto said.

And when the topic turned to the opener against Taiwan, you could hear his anticipation rise a notch. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “I’ve played in Taiwan, and I think I understand how much Taiwan’s fans love baseball. In that sense, I think it’ll be a really exciting game. I’ll prepare well so I can do my best.”

Yamamoto was also asked whether last year’s workload changes anything for him going into this tournament, and he treated it as part of his normal rhythm as a professional pitcher. “I don’t really feel it,” he said. “I got hurt in the 2024 season, but before that I’ve thrown a lot of innings every year. So I think it’s like always.”

Roberts saw Friday’s outing along the same lines Yamamoto described it, with a rougher first inning and a cleaner rhythm as the game moved along. “It wasn’t sharp early,” Roberts said. “Adames hit a good pitch, but I thought he kind of got back into his rhythm and, as you said, he navigated the inning well and got to that third inning, got his pitch count up. Right now in spring training where we’re at, who he is, mission accomplished.”

Roberts also talked about what makes Yamamoto so steady, and it sounded like real appreciation from a manager who knows what it looks like when a player is fully professional about his craft. “Everything he does matters,” Roberts said. “His preparation, his mental toughness. When you’ve had the success that he’s had, it adds to his confidence. He’s a special athlete, special brain. We’re going to miss him, and I’m really happy to know that he’s anchoring our staff.”

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