"He's got to go in on guys" MLB analyst believes Yoshinobu Yamamoto needs to grow comfortable with pitching high and tight after disappointing debut

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto's highly-anticipated MLB debut did not go as planned. The hard-throwing righty did not look comfortable on the mound and lasted only an inning.

During that inning, he gave up five runs on four hits and a walk. He threw 43 pitches, so there was no point in bringing him out for a second inning this early into the season.

MLB analyst Alanna Rizzo noticed Yamamoto had little interest in pitching inside to batters. She recently joined Foul Territory TV to discuss what he must do in the future to guarantee success.

"If he is going to be successful at the Major League level in this country, he is going to have to get more comfortable quickly with pitching high and tight. He's got to go in on guys" stated Rizzo.

As a pitcher, the one thing you cannot do in this league is allow the batter to get comfortable. If hitters catch word that Yamamoto likes to expand the outer half of the zone, that is something they will sit on.

Allowing professional hitters to sit on a location is a disaster waiting to happen. The at-bat becomes batting practice for them at that point.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has struggled since transitioning to the big leagues

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Image via Getty)

There were some concerns about Yoshinobu Yamamoto as he was preparing for the season this spring with the Dodgers. Some believed that he was tipping his pitches, which is never good.

However, if he was during his debut in South Korea, then it had to be minor. Nothing jumps out too much in the video above from Rob Friedman also known as Pitching Ninja on X.

Looking past Yamamoto allegedly tipping his pitches, he has gotten hit hard throughout the spring. While he had 14 strikeouts, he also gave up 15 hits.

Given that this is his first year overseas, nerves could play a huge role in his performances. He told reporters that he was nervous before making his MLB debut on Thursday.

Luckily for Yamamoto, his teammates made the game a lot closer than it should have been. After giving up five runs in the first, the Dodgers clawed their way back but lost 15-11.

Both teams now have one win each as they head back to the United States to prepare for the rest of the season after an exciting series in Seoul.