Just over six years after Yoshinobu Yamamoto watched an MLB playoff game from the raucous Dodger Stadium stands and decided he absolutely had to play in the major leagues one day, the right-hander pulled on his white No. 18 jersey and a blue cap in the center field pavilion.
The consensus best pitcher outside North America on Wednesday reached one of his goals, joining the Dodgers on a 12-year contract that is reportedly the largest and longest ever guaranteed to a major-league pitcher.
However, the 25-year-old ace of Japan’s top league will not be satisfied without many chances to experience the Los Angeles playoff atmosphere he absorbed as a teenager watching Kenta Maeda on the mound at Chavez Ravine in 2017.
Photo: EPA-EFE
While he is to play alongside Shohei Ohtani with his new club, Yamamoto also intends to inspire any dreaming youngsters in the Dodger Stadium stands.
“From today moving forward, I promise to all the fans of LA that I will focus my everything to become a better player, and to become a world champion as a member of the Dodgers,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “I will stop simply admiring the players that I have looked up to, but rather strive to become the player that others want to become.”
Yamamoto has been Japan’s most dominant pitcher over the past few seasons and he was sought by teams across the majors after he elected to leave the Orix Buffaloes this off-season.
The big-budget, pitching-poor Dodgers landed Yamamoto to cap their prolific winter spending spree after signing two-way American League Most Valuable Player Ohtani to a US$700 million contract and inking right-hander Tyler Glasnow to a US$136.5 million, five-year deal after his acquisition from the Tampa Bay Rays.
“This has been a monumental off-season for all of us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s a privilege to be here, but I don’t think the expectations have changed. The roster has been bolstered with some good young players, but our goal is always to compete for championships.”
The Dodgers did not disclose the value of the deal, but several media reports have tagged it at US$325 million.
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