Yoshinobu Yamamoto Reflects on His Journey to Dodgers Opening Day
Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Start 2026 Season for Dodgers as Team Pursues Third Consecutive Championship
PHOENIX — The first pitch of the 2026 Major League Baseball season for the Los Angeles Dodgers, although distinct from the celebratory conclusion of the previous season, holds great significance as it marks the team’s pursuit of a third consecutive championship. Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was instrumental in last season’s success, will take the mound at Dodger Stadium for Opening Day.
“It’s an honor for me,” Yamamoto stated on Tuesday through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “To start on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium is very much an honor to me. I also feel the responsibility.”
Before the season opener against the Diamondbacks next Thursday, Yamamoto will make one final start in the Cactus League against the Padres on Friday. This marks the second time in his MLB career he will serve as the opening day starter, and notably, it will be his first at home.
Yamamoto enters the 2026 season following an intense offseason and spring training that not only included a grueling postseason but also a fast-paced return to competitive play as he represented Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
"He’s just very driven, he’s very disciplined in his work," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "That’s some of the things that allow him to compete at a high level. Where most people would feel that you win the World Series MVP, you don’t have enough to pitch in the WBC. He wanted to pitch for his country, and now he’s really excited about the start of 2026."
Yamamoto became a postseason standout for the Dodgers last year. On October 14, he delivered a complete game against the Brewers, placing the Dodgers ahead 2-0 in the National League Championship Series. He replicated this feat days later, helping the Dodgers even their World Series series against the Blue Jays. Notably, he made back-to-back appearances to wrap up the World Series, starting Game 6 and finishing Game 7.
Throughout the postseason, Yamamoto threw 526 pitches, with 235 of those during the World Series, clocking speeds of nearly 97 mph in his final inning.
While many players might require an extended offseason to recover, Yamamoto was already active by March 6, marking his first appearance in the World Baseball Classic where he held Chinese Taipei hitless for 2 ⅔ innings. In a subsequent quarterfinal against Venezuela, he faced challenges but managed to provide two scoreless innings, despite Team Japan’s eventual elimination.
“As Team Japan, the result was not what we were aiming for,” Yamamoto reflected. “But at a personal level, my condition was good.”
The upcoming season will serve as a litmus test for Yamamoto’s unconventional training methodologies, which have begun to influence teammates, including shortstop Mookie Betts, who praised the benefits he has experienced from adapting elements of Yamamoto’s regimen.
If successful, Yamamoto could emerge as a contender for the Cy Young Award, having finished third in National League voting last year. “There’s high competition; there are a lot of great pitchers out there,” Yamamoto acknowledged. “But I hope that I get there.”
For Yamamoto, the primary goal remains clear: securing a world championship. “The same goal,” he reaffirmed, “winning a world championship with this team.” As he embarks on the new season, he carries with him a profound lesson from the previous championship run: “I learned how difficult it is to get one win. As a team, I want to be able to share that joy.”
