Yoshinobu Yamamoto reveals Opening Day plans for Tokyo Series after impressive Cactus League start 

LA Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his Cactus League debut on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs. He was impressive in his 1.2 innings of work, allowing three hits, no runs and two strikeouts in the 12-4 loss.

The Dodgers are set to play the Cubs to start their regular season in Tokyo on March 18. The second and last game of the series will be played on March 19 at Tokyo Dome.

Following his Spring debut, Yamamoto talked with reporters about his game and shared his plans for Opening Day.

"Although I allowed a couple of hits, I believe I was able to do what I wanted to do," Yamamoto said through an interpreter. "And that was great — I finished my first game. I think I'll throw a couple more innings as I go deeper into the Cactus League — I mean, Spring Training games. Then, I'd like to try a couple of different things and get myself ready for the games in Tokyo."

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is better off as compared to last year

MLB: Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers - Source: Imagn

SportsNet LA reporter also asked Yoshinobu Yamamoto about the level of comfort playing with the Dodgers in the second year as compared to his rookie season. The right-hander credited communication as a big plus due to having a better repo with the coaching staff.

"Last year was my first year, so there were a lot of things I couldn't get used to," Yamamoto said. "But this year, I've been able to practice more calmly compared to last year.

"I've also been able to communicate better with the coaching staff and the pitching coach based on my experiences from last year. Additionally, the doctors, coaches and staff — I now know how to communicate with everybody. I think my communication is much better than last year," he added.

After going 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in the 2024 World Series run, the Dodgers will ask Yamamoto to lead the rotation which includes the likes of Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani and Bobby Miller.