Dodgers Interview: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Breaks Down Scoreless WBC Start at Tokyo Dome
Highlights from the Yoshinobu Yamamoto WBC Interview
TOKYO, JAPAN — Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s WBC opener against Chinese Taipei had the kind of line that we’ve come to expect from him. He worked 2.2 hitless innings, and the stuff looked electric. The walks (three of them) were the one messy part, and Yamamoto already knows exactly where he wants to be sharper. After Japan’s win, he spoke with a mix of relief, gratitude, and that familiar pitcher’s focus on the small details.
Good Velo, but “Too Many Balls”
“I was really happy to be able to stand on the field again in the Japan national team uniform,” Yamamoto said, speaking to reporters in Japanese. “And I’m really happy that we were able to win today’s game.” On his outing, he went straight into his own review. “The start went okay, and then we got the lead with runs,” he said. “I stayed focused and tried to pitch with concentration, but I threw too many balls. If you get into the details, there are a lot of things to reflect on. But first of all, we were able to win as a team, so in that sense I think it was really good.”
At times in this start, Yamamoto’s fastball touched 98 mph, which was remarkable for this early in the year. When asked about the way his velocity played early, Yamamoto said the fastball had been showing up even before game day. “Even before the game, the speed was coming out,” he said. “And the bullpen two days ago, I was throwing with good speed too. The first inning is always where I try to be more careful, and I think I was able to get into it well.”
Later, he was asked about the radar gun reading that touched the upper range, and he explained it as something he noticed building. “From the bullpen two days ago, the speed was coming out a little more than usual,” he said. “The feeling wasn’t especially great, but I came into the game like that, and the speed came out more than I expected. My condition has been rising, and today I really felt my condition was good. I think that connected to the speed.”
Watching Shohei’s Heroics
Japan’s offense broke the game open with a huge second inning, and the moment everyone in the stadium will remember was Shohei Ohtani’s grand slam. Yamamoto talked about it from the dugout like a pitcher who understands how one swing can settle a whole bench. “In the first game, the flow of the game matters,” he said. “Getting the first run is really difficult, and I’ve had that experience many times. With that one home run, the flow came over to Japan all at once, and I thought, ‘That’s exactly what you’d expect from him.’” Yamamoto also mentioned how the crowd felt once the game turned. “The support at Tokyo Dome, the feeling of the whole stadium being together, that became strength for the players,” he said. “We were able to play in a really good atmosphere, and I’m very grateful.”
Lots of “Tea Whisks” on the Bases
One of the cooler side stories from this Team Japan group has been the “tea whisk” celebration, and it came up again because the bench got plenty of chances to break it out during that big inning. Yamamoto, who talked about it at his pre-tournament availability too, said it lands with players because it gives the dugout a shared rhythm. “When you have a pose like that, I think it brings out more of a sense of unity as a team,” he said. “Today too, starting in the second inning, we were able to do it again and again as a whole team. I thought it was really good.”
There was also a moment that mattered to Yamamoto personally, beyond the box score. He reconnected with a catcher he knew well from his Orix days, Kenya Wakatsuki, and the fact that it happened on this stage clearly hit him. “It had been a long time since we formed a battery together,” Yamamoto said. “I was really happy about that, and that the game was a WBC game for the national team made me feel even more happy.” He said the communication was solid throughout the day, especially given how quickly tournament games move. “We haven’t done a full review yet,” he said, “but even before the game, yesterday too, we were building the game plan, and during the game we communicated well. I think it was really good.”
Looking Ahead
Yamamoto also talked about how his body responded to the travel and the time change, which can sneak up on pitchers even when everything looks fine on paper. “As far as my physical condition goes, things went according to plan,” he said. “The jet lag, that kind of issue, I was able to get it back on schedule, the way we planned. And the condition in terms of throwing, starting around yesterday, it felt like it took another step up. Today I was able to swing my arm well without thinking about worries.”
When the final questions turned toward his next outing, Yamamoto said that he knows what he wants to clean up and how he wants the next one to look. “For the next time, personally, I want to adjust the fine details,” he said. “I want to be able to pitch in even better condition.” Asked what he wants to correct first, he pointed to command and the finishing quality of his secondary stuff. “Overall, it’s not like there’s a major problem,” he said. “But in the game, the control part, and there were a lot of pitches where I didn’t finish my breaking balls the way I wanted. I want to fix those parts.”
That’s basically the takeaway from Yamamoto in a nutshell: the raw line was strong, the stadium was buzzing, Japan got the early jolt from Ohtani, and Yamamoto walked away happy with the win while still circling the same pitcher priorities. Cleaner strikes. Sharper breaking balls. Same calm, even in the biggest games.
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