'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a dominant outing in a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. His teammate Miguel Rojas applauded the Japanese right-hander's stellar performance on social media.
The Dodgers uploaded a post to celebrate their win in the opening encounter of a three-game series with a clip of Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Trending
"Yoshinobu's locked in," the Dodgers posted along with a fire emoji on the Instagram reel.
Rojas shared the post along with a message for the Japanese pitcher.
"You are an animal," Rojas wrote.
On Friday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his fourth appearance of the 2025 campaign for the Dodgers. He was also the starting pitcher for their season opener against the Cubs in the MLB Tokyo Series last month and has made a strong start to the year.
Yamamoto went on to produce one of his best outings since joining the Dodgers on a record-breaking 10-year, $325 million contract last season. He pitched six shutout innings while restricting the Cubs to two hits and a walk, racking up nine strikeouts.
The split-finger fastball was particularly effective for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers posted a clip of him punching out Cubs leadoff hitter Ian Happ on a filthy splitter, slowing the video for a moment to highlight the insane dive on the pitch.
Utility man Tommy Edman smacked his sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the Dodgers up by three runs. Their relievers Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen then shut down the Cubs without allowing a base to the Cubs in the last three frames.
"I just happened to feel good with all my pitches": Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Following his dominant performance against the Cubs, Yoshinobu Yamamoto shared his thoughts on his performance.
"It was good to win the first game back at home, and my execution was pretty good," Yamamoto said through his interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. "I just happened to feel good with all my pitches. Also, the mixing and sequencing worked well for me."
Yamamoto has a 2-1 record in four appearances on the mound for the Dodgers, giving up 13 hits and seven walks in 22.0 innings. He holds a 1.23 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 28 strikeouts.
