Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was upfront about his disappointing performance in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Padres. The right-hander struggled early, giving up five runs over three innings, putting the Dodgers in a 5-0 hole before the offense mounted a comeback for a 7-5 victory. In his postgame comments, Yamamoto admitted that his control issues were the main factor behind his difficult start.
“I allowed the leadoff runner to reach and then gave up some walks, which put more runners on base,” he said. “The home run was obviously bad, but the walks before it made it worse. I wasn’t able to execute the fundamentals of pitching today.” Yamamoto’s honest self-assessment reflected a pitcher who understood the gravity of his mistakes, but he remained composed, emphasizing that he needed to adjust his approach moving forward.
This wasn’t the first time Yamamoto had dealt with command problems since returning from injury. He acknowledged that his rhythm has been off, and in trying to be overly precise, he ended up hurting himself. “I was aiming too much for the corners, and that led to me falling behind in counts. As a result, I got into bad situations.”
Despite his struggles, Yamamoto was full of praise for his teammates, who rallied to secure the win. “The team picking me up and getting the win is the most important thing, and I’m really happy about that,” he said. His humility and team-first mentality shined through, as he repeatedly expressed his gratitude for the offense and bullpen. “I was really helped out by my teammates today,” he added. “I feel like I was carried by them, and that’s why we were able to win.”
Asked about his physical condition following his recent return from injury, Yamamoto insisted that he felt strong. “Physically, I feel great,” he said. “My conditioning is not a problem, and my stamina is back to where it was before the injury. I feel like I can go deep into games just like I did before.”
The Dodgers’ comeback win took some of the sting out of Yamamoto’s rough outing, but he was already looking ahead to his next potential start. Reflecting on his experiences in Japan, where he bounced back from a poor start in the Nippon Series to deliver a solid outing in his second game, Yamamoto drew from that example as motivation. “I’ve had these kinds of situations before,” he said. “I was able to learn from it and make adjustments, and I hope to do the same if I get the chance to pitch again.”
The lively postseason atmosphere was also a talking point for Yamamoto, who felt the crowd’s energy, though he was disappointed he couldn’t deliver a better result for them. “The fans’ cheers really reached me, and I wanted to make the most of it, but I couldn’t,” he said. “It didn’t go well for me personally, but I still felt their support.”
Looking ahead, Yamamoto remains focused on preparing for another possible start. “I’ll reflect on what went wrong today and work hard to make the necessary adjustments,” he said, showing his determination to bounce back and help his team in the postseason.
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