"Really looking forward to facing Masataka Yoshida" - Yoshinobu Yamamoto reveals the hitter he wants to face the most in MLB

Newly signed Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was revealed at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday and spoke about his desire to play against old teammate Masataka Yoshida of the Boston Red Sox.

The 25-year-old ace is a newcomer to the MLB with high expectations for his rookie season. When asked about which player in particular he is looking forward to facing, Yamamoto singled out Red Sox star Yoshida, who was his teammate in the NPB back in Japan. This could come true as soon as July, when the Dodgers take on the Red Sox in LA.

“If anyone (I’m) really looking forward to playing against, it’s Masataka Yoshida of the Red Sox,” Yamamoto said on MLB Network’s “MLB Tonight” on Wednesday. “He was an old teammate in Japan. To be able to face him in a real game over here would mean a lot.”

The young right-handed pitcher has been touted by many as the best arm to come of Japan and he has secured a contract worthy of it. He has dominated the NPB in the past six years with the Orix Buffaloes where outfielder Masataka Yoshida was his teammate until he joined the Red Sox ahead of the 2023 season.

Masataka Yoshida was posted to the MLB market in December 2022 and signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. He made an impressive start to his MLB career, showing plenty of promise for the future.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto reveals Shohei Ohtani wasn't the sole reason for joining the Dodgers

\When asked about Shohei Ohtani's influence on his decision to join the team, the youngster said that while his Japanese teammate wanted him to join the LA side, he was supportive of any decision that he made.

"Even if he ended up somewhere else, I probably would’ve ended up in LA as a Dodger," he said.

He also expressed his pleasure in being able to wear the number 18, which he wore for his previous team as well as the national team.