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LA Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto has enjoyed a stellar 2025 season, boasting a 3-1 record, along with a 0.93 ERA and 38 strikeouts. He is one of the most potent pitchers in all of the big leagues.
A major reason why Yamamoto is so successful on the mound is his variety of pitches. Whether it's the breaking ball, off-speed pitch or fastball, he possesses enough quality to outclass any batter.
However, according to former Arizona Diamondbacks star Chris Young, Paul Skenes has a more devastating fastball than Yamamoto.
"Watching these pitches side by side, I see Yamamoto's heater is running up on you," Young said on Thursday, via MLB Network. "With Skenes, you're getting 98,99,100 (miles per hour). Yamamoto (is) pumping it at 96. They're both able to execute their pitches (but)I think I'm going to take Paul Skenes' fastball. Especially when you dig into the numbers and see twelve punchouts on the fastball, I'll take Paul Skenes' fastball, absolutely."
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Yamamoto and Skenes will clash in the Dodgers-Pirates series opener at Dodger Stadium on Friday. With both pitchers in fine form, the game has all the makings of a high-quality pitching duel.
With LA third in the NL West with a 16-9 record, and Pittsburgh at the bottom of the NL Central with a 10-16 slate, both teams enter the matchup desperate to get their season back on track.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto ranked 'best MLB pitcher of 2025' by MLB analyst
On Tuesday, MLB analyst Ben Verlander ranked Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto at the top spot in his list of the five best pitchers in the league this season. He shared his rankings in a video he uploaded to his YouTube channel, "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander."
"At No. 1 on the list of top pitchers to start the year, Yoshinobu Yamamoto comes in at the top spot," Verlander said. "He has dominated this year. A 0.93 ERA in five starts, 38 strikeouts, 38 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched, only seven walks. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been fantastic, (and) it has been awesome watching how good he has been this year."
As the Dodgers aim to replicate the success they had in 2024 and win the World Series again, their fans will hope Yamamoto can continue to dominate as the season progresses.
