Yoshinobu Yamamoto Explains His Joy To Be With The Dodgers

The world of baseball has known for several days now that Yoshinobu Yamamoto will pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He agreed to sign a 12-year, $325 million deal, the largest ever for a man who exclusively pitches.

That contract became official in the last couple of days, as the Dodgers announced it on their social media channels.

The player is excited for this new chapter.

“Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in English: ‘I cannot express what it means to me to be able to call Los Angeles my new home,’” Dodgers insider Fabian Ardaya tweeted, with quotes from the pitcher.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in English: “I cannot express what it means to me to be able to call Los Angeles my new home.”

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) December 27, 2023

LA will be his new home for the next 12 years, unless there is a trade later down the road.

The city has become an extremely attractive destination for star Japanese players: it’s a huge place with lots of things to do and, above all things, it’s a short flight from Japan as opposed to East Coast cities such as New York.

Of course, the Dodgers are a model franchise with a drive to win, a desire to spend, and the infrastructure in place to compete for a long, long time.

Yamamoto has a lot to give to the Dodgers, who badly needed some rotation reinforcements.

The right-hander won the MVP award of the Pacific League in Japan and the Eiji Sawamura award (the Cy Young equivalent) for the third straight year in 2023.

He posted a 1.21 ERA in 164 innings, with 169 strikeouts, and has the makeup, talent, and command to succeed and give the Dodgers ace-like performance for at least the first half of the deal.

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