Dodgers News: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Set for One More Dodgers Start Before Joining Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make his final Dodgers tune-up on Friday before joining Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic.

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Tempe, AZ - February 21, 2026: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) pitches in the first inning at Diablo Stadium, Tempe, AZ on February 21, 2026. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

GLENDALE, AZ—The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off Cactus League play with a dominant victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, and it was also the first appearance of right-hander and 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto this spring.

Overall, Yamamoto was able to pitch into the second inning, allowing two runs on three hits while collecting three punch outs in what was thought to be his lone spring training start for Los Angeles before departing for Team Japan to participate in the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic.

However, after the game, Yamamoto confirmed to reporters that he’ll make one more tune-up appearance with the Dodgers on Friday, March 27th, versus their National League West rival, the San Francisco Giants.

“I was able to stay focused and get into the first inning well. And when I came off the mound at the end, the manager told me, ‘Good luck.’ [I told him] I still have one more game, so I want to keep working and do my best.”

Yamamoto is one of several players in the Dodgers organization who are set to compete in the WBC, along with fellow Team Japan teammate two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who is set to have Sunday’s game off as a bullpen day.

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