ATLANTA — Hours earlier than first pitch Friday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was honored with the Nationwide League’s pitcher of the month award for March and April.
Given how he appeared in a scoreless six-inning, six-strikeout, one-hit gem in opposition to the Atlanta Braves hours later, it may not be the final award he vies for this 12 months.
After establishing himself as a breakout star within the opening month, Yamamoto continued his ascent up the hierarchy of major-league starters within the Dodgers’ 2-1 win Friday at Truist Park.
He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He held an opponent with no run for the third time in his final 4 begins. And he dropped his early-season ERA to an MLB-best 0.90, having yielded simply 4 earned runs in his first 40 innings of the season.
“I’ve been able to perform at a very high level,” Yamamoto stated by way of interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda after the sport. “I think it’s really close to my best times in Japan.”
Already in current weeks, supervisor Dave Roberts has referred to Yamamoto — the three-time Japanese league MVP who signed for $325 million two offseasons in the past — because the ace of the Dodgers’ pitching employees.
However now, with the Dodgers (22-10) lacking two different nine-figure rotation signings in Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow due to shoulder accidents, Yamamoto’s worth is likely to be even better than simply that.
“When you look at the handful of guys in the big leagues that when they take the ball, you know they’re going to go six innings, you’re going to get a chance to win, a good chance to win, they can manage some stress, they’re always the best option — he’s putting himself in that category,” Roberts stated. “I think there’s just been so much consistent performance from Yoshi in big games that it’s real. He does think he’s one of those guys.”
Yamamoto didn’t appear like that caliber of pitcher in his earlier begin, a season-worst five-inning, three-run outing in opposition to the Pittsburgh Pirates final week by which he issued a career-high 4 walks.
However after a psychological “reset” — one thing Yamamoto says he does between each begin — the 26-year-old right-hander responded with considered one of his finest outings of the season in opposition to the resurgent Braves (who’re 14-17, however had gained 9 of their earlier 12).
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto reacts within the fourth inning in opposition to the Braves on Friday.
(Mike Stewart / Related Press)
“He dominated today, and I feel like it wasn’t even the best version of Yama, which is crazy,” reliever Evan Phillips stated. “When you talk about routine and work ethic and the talent, this guy’s one of the best in the game, for sure. It’s fun to watch.”
Friday may need been the perfect instance of Yamamoto’s renewed assuredness but.
In Yamamoto’s first three innings, the one actual hazard he encountered was to his personal individual. With two outs within the first inning, he ducked out of the way in which of a 107-mph line drive from Matt Olson that Mookie Betts snared at shortstop. To guide off the second, Sean Murphy rifled a 106-mph comebacker that Yamamoto snagged along with his glove.
His pitching counterpart, Grant Holmes, wasn’t so fortunate.
The Los Angeles Dodgers even have probably the greatest data in baseball however nobody appears to be too thrilled by it. Accidents, query marks and hitters not hitting are points.
After matching Yamamoto zero for zero (in each runs and hits) within the early going, the Atlanta right-hander suffered a nasty break within the fourth, when Betts smoked a 94-mph comebacker off his bottom for the evening’s first hit. That was adopted by a single from Freddie Freeman, who hit a floor ball that Olson didn’t snare at first base, and a stroll to Teoscar Hernández, loading the bases with one out. Will Smith then lifted a sacrifice fly to proper, opening the scoring.
Not till the sixth inning, when Betts continued his resurgence from a deep April droop with a solo house run to left subject, did the Dodgers get to Holmes once more.
However the way in which Yamamoto was dealing, the shortage of run help posed little drawback.
Outdoors of two walks to Marcell Ozuna — who gained an 11-pitch battle within the first inning, and a six-pitch duel within the fourth — the Braves mustered nothing till a two-out double by Austin Riley within the sixth. And even that was instantly negated when Yamamoto induced a groundout from Ozuna to finish the inning within the subsequent at-bat.
“I was thinking about it a little bit,” Roberts stated of Yamamoto’s rising no-hit risk. “Because, yeah, he had no-hit stuff tonight.”
As an alternative, with Yamamoto more likely to begin on 5 days’ relaxation for the primary time this season subsequent week — he had been on a six-days-rest schedule — Roberts ended Yamamoto’s evening there, pulling him after 91 pitches.
His alternative, Kirby Yates, gave up a leadoff homer within the seventh to Olson, chopping the Dodgers’ lead in half.
However, even after a 1-hour, 13-minute rain delay on the finish of the eighth, the Dodgers held on, with Tanner Scott and Evan Phillips slamming the door to protect Yamamoto’s fourth victory and enhance the staff’s report to 5-2 in video games he has pitched.
“Just executing all of his pitches. Just making it really hard on the hitters,” Smith stated of Yamamoto’s dominance. “Right now, he’s pitching like the best pitcher in the world. We’re just fortunate to have him.”
