Fresh off a rough spring training, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto had an even worse MLB regular-season debut on Thursday against the San Diego Padres.
If Yoshinobu Yamamoto's day is done after one inning and 43 pitches, his 5 runs would be the most by a Dodgers starter in their major league debut pitching an inning or less
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) March 21, 2024
A few relievers gave up morehttps://t.co/7uqKsE7Qv8
Yamamot's 43 pitches are the most by any Dodgers pitcher in an outing of 1 IP or less since Chin-hui Tsao tossed 44 pitches on July 25, 2015https://t.co/H6XCPEBnap
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) March 21, 2024
The three-time Pacific League MVP pitched 9 2/3 innings across three Cactus League starts, racking up 14 strikeouts but also surrendering 15 hits and four walks.
Yamamoto finished spring training with a bloated 8.38 ERA, but many fans have learned from years of watching America's pastime that poor stats in exhibition games often don't carry over into the regular season.
Facing a tough Padres lineup though, the 25-year-old right-hander was rocked for five runs (all earned) on four hits, while striking out two, walking one, hitting a batter and uncorking a wild pitch.
Yamamoto threw just 23 of his 43 pitches for strikes and according to an Associated Press and ESPN report, he averaged 95.4 miles per hour on his 14 fastballs.
The report added that the Dodgers allowed five runs in the first inning only one time during the 2023 season.
Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325M contract with Los Angeles in late December.
It's far too early to push the panic button on the five-time Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) League All-Star, but Dodgers fans should at least have some concerns with one of their biggest offseason acquisitions.
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