"It was probably his best start" - Dave Roberts lauds Yoshinobu Yamamoto following Dodgers ace's 6 shutout innings vs. Nationals

Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined the Los Angeles Dodgers with the weight of the world on his shoulders. It wasn’t just his incredible career and reputation in Japan’s Nippon Pro Baseball that sparked enormous expectations.

Yamamoto, a three-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner (Japan's equivalent to the Cy Young Award) put pen to paper on a 12-year, $325 million contract - the most lucrative deal signed by a pitcher in major league history.

The fact that the Dodgers decided to make someone who hasn’t thrown a single MLB pitch, the highest-paid pitcher in the league's history magnified those expectations further.

Yamamoto has made five starts in Dodger blue prior to Thursday, but his outing against the Washington Nationals at National Park may have just been his best start yet.

Yamamoto himself acknowledged the same via his interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda, saying that it was his best start so far.

Yamamoto pitched six scoreless innings and struck out seven as the Dodgers won 2-1. After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts commented on Yamamoto’s outing. He said (via MLB.com):

“It was probably his best start he has had with us. And actually, the last two have been really good.”

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto's MLB tenure has been full of ups and downs

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Dodgers tenure up until this point has been a mixed bag so far. His MLB debut in Seoul, South Korea couldn’t have gone any worse.

He gave up five runs while recording only three outs. His next two outings sparked a bounceback, offering a glimpse of why the Dodgers went all out for him.

However, the following two starts didn’t go as planned, as he gave up three runs over five innings to the San Diego Padres and four runs in six innings to the New York Mets.

If Yoshinobu Yamamoto can build on Thursday’s performance and put together a string of such performances, then he has every chance of being a Cy Young contender this year. Consistency is going to be key.

The Dodgers travel to Toronto next to take on the Blue Jays for a three-game set.