GLENDALE, Ariz. — After becoming the first hitter to face Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a major-league uniform, Freddie Freeman took a moment to approach his new teammate.
“I went up to him and said, ‘Please say incredible in Japanese,’” Freeman recalled. “Because that was incredible.”
It was only a live bullpen session for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ $325 million man. A standard requirement for pitchers in the first days of spring training. Seven other pitchers threw a live BP on the Dodgers’ back fields on Saturday. But Yamamoto’s outing was more like a must-see event.
Upward of 1,000 fans watched — most with their phones capturing every pitch with a hushed and focused silence. The Dodgers’ best sluggers got their first look in the batter’s box. The reporters tasked with covering Yamamoto for the Japanese audience logged every pitch he threw.
Nearly the entire pitching staff, coaching staff and front office stood behind the backstop on the field, taking it all in.
“The command of the stuff, that’s all the there,” Freeman said. “But to have all the eyes, all the hype, his first live BP, everyone’s watching. For him to go out there and do what he did today is very impressive.”
In total, the 25-year-old righty threw 28 pitches. He faced Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Manuel Margot and Jason Hayward. And Yamamoto drew rave reviews for his first showing.
It might not have counted for anything. But for those in attendance, this exercise represented something more significant than the stakes would have you believe. This was the first real chance for the Dodgers to see the man they’ve made one of the faces of their future. The first chance to see a starter they’ve locked up for the next 12 seasons.
“That felt pretty good and it was good for me to have the opportunity to face the actual hitters,” Yamamoto said, via an interpreter. “I think this is not the best yet and I’m going to keep adjusting with what I need to and it’s going to keep getting better.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto shakes hands with Mookie Betts after facing him in live batting practice. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)
Yamamoto throws a fastball, splitter, cutter and a curveball. He threw the curveballs to the right-handers he faced, but not the lefties. The command of his pitches impressed the opposition.
Heyward purposefully didn’t swing at any of the five pitches he saw, which gave him a good sense of where Yamamoto was locating. All of his pitches, Heyward said, were knee-high but in the zone. Yamamoto said his fastball hit 96 miles per hour. It typically sits around 95 miles per hour.
“It’s practice and not in-game situations,” Heyward said. “But it’s still nice to be able to focus and execute. I feel like there’s a lot kind of going on on the outside, with excitement, for good reasons, which is very cool to have. But for him to be able to do his thing and lock in and make really good pitches, I think it was nice.”
As Heyward said, it’s practice right now. And the Dodgers players are thankful for that. They’ll never have to face Yamamoto in a real in-game setting. Even if the moment felt important on Saturday, the calendar will quickly remind you that it’s still just mid-February.
Freeman noted how difficult it is to pick up his pitches because his delivery is unique. The mix of pauses and head turns in his motion complicated his ability to read what might be coming his way. And impacted his ability to time up his swing.
“It’s things you’re not used to facing,” Freeman said. “Then for him to put the ball where he wants and hit any quadrant. There’s just a lot of moving parts that a lot of guys are going to have trouble early on getting used to that.”
Yamamoto answered a question in English after his performance. Responding to a query about what his teammates had told him after facing him. “Nice pitching,” he said, which elicited a laugh.
Part of this spring training isn’t just to ready his game for the regular season, it’s to make him feel more comfortable in his surroundings.
“I think that he’s doing a great job of is getting comfortable in our environment with the Dodgers, and starting to learn players’ names,” said manager Dave Roberts. “I think that’s a really important piece, too. I think that when you see Yoshi walk around, he’s very focused on his work, but he’s also smiling when he’s not working.”
Heyward said he’s tried to make him feel welcome. Even with all the eyes and attention on him, he knows that it’s inevitable for Yamamoto to feel like he’s on an island. He’s in a new place and experiencing a completely different culture.
For now, he’s fitting in well. And what he’s already shown on the mound makes it clear he’ll fit in just fine there, too.
“I was really happy to throw in front of this many people because I hadn’t done it,” Yamamoto said. “I was happy.”
(Top photo of Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)
