WATCH: Shohei Ohtani HILARIOUSLY calls out Yoshinobu Yamamoto ‘so-so’ game at Spring training

Yoshinobu Yamamoto took part in his first Spring training game and threw two innings.

WATCH: Shohei Ohtani HILARIOUSLY calls out Yoshinobu Yamamoto ‘so-so’ game at Spring training

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani (Image via LA Times/X)

After Shohei Ohtani finally made his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers recently, it was time for another Japanese star to take the spotlight. On Wednesday during the Spring training game against the Texas Rangers, their $325 million man Yoshinobu Yamamoto took to the mound.

The three-time Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) MVP made his debut for the team following his move to America. In this game, several people got the chance to catch him live for the worst time. For Ohtani though, this was something he was familiar with and did not seem too impressed with it.

YouTube video

As he took to the pitcher’s mound, the pressure was definitely high on his shoulders. Yamamoto though remained calm and composed. His strikeouts received huge applause from the fans present and the Dodgers’ dugout including Ohtani.

FS Video

During this game, as Yamamoto ended the second inning, Ohtani was hilariously spotted calling him out of the game. The 2023 American League MVP waved his hand off while holding some cups in his others hand signaling Yamamoto to come back. Check out the video of this hilarious incident:

After the match Yamamoto expressed he was in “relief” state after finally making his Dodgers debut. When asked about what Ohtani said to him regarding it, he jokingly said that his compatriot thought it was a “so-so” performance. Perhaps he expected much from Yamamoto in his first game.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto dazzles in Dodgers debut

In this first game in the America, Yoshinobu Yamamoto proved why he was one of the most sought out free agent in the market. Contrary to what Shohei Ohtani thought about it, Yamamoto absolutely killed it out there.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Image via dodgersway)

The 25-year-old pitcher only pitched two innings but it was enough to let the world know what he was capable off. Starting off against the defending World Series champions, Yamamoto threw 19 pitches and struck out three batters in his debut.

Yamamoto carried off his dominating form from Japan and threw some nasty fastballs, sliders and cutters. All of his pitchers ranged between 94-96 mph.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts seemed the most impressed person from Yamamoto performance. He said this debut of him could not have gone any better than this.

I don’t think it could have went any better than we had hoped. He got to use his entire pitch mix. He was pounding the strike zone. He got a lot of swing-and-miss. He was efficient.
Dave Roberts on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s performance as per USA Today.

Despite this impressive start from him, the Dodgers ended up losing the game 6-4. This turned out to be their first loss of the Spring training campaign. They will now look to bounce back from this on Thursday when they take on the Cincinnati Reds.

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