Yamamoto’s Strong Start

Yoshinobu Yamamoto opened in Toronto by striking out all three Blue Jays he faced in the first inning on April 7, then carried that start into 6-plus innings of one-run ball in a 4-1 Dodgers win at Rogers Centre. He finished with six strikeouts, five hits allowed, and one walk against 40,971 fans in the same park where he closed out the 2025 World Series. (mlb.com) (espn.com) That first inning stood out because a three-strikeout frame is the cleanest version of a pitcher taking over a game: three batters up, three batters out, no ball put in play. For Toronto, it meant the lineup started the afternoon already chasing Yamamoto’s timing instead of setting it. (mlb.com) Toronto was not a random stop for him. Five months earlier, Yamamoto was the winning pitcher in World Series Game 6 against the Blue Jays and then returned in relief in Game 7, a two-night stretch the Dodgers’ official player page calls part of his run to World Series Most Valuable Player honors. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) That history helps explain why this April start drew attention beyond one box score. Toronto had already seen him on the biggest stage baseball has, and Yamamoto still got ahead early enough to turn the first inning into a strikeout reel. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) The Dodgers also need starts like this because Yamamoto is not just another arm in the middle of the rotation. Baseball-Reference lists him under a 12-year, $325 million contract through 2035, which is the kind of deal teams give to a pitcher they expect to anchor series in April and October. (baseball-reference.com) He entered 2026 with that role already expanded by what he did in 2025. The Dodgers’ official bio says he finished third in National League Cy Young voting last season after posting a 2.49 earned run average, a 0.99 walks plus hits per inning pitched, and 201 strikeouts, then added two postseason complete games. (mlb.com) This win also fit the Dodgers’ fast start. ESPN’s recap had Los Angeles at 9-2 after the April 7 game and on a five-game winning streak, which means Yamamoto’s outing landed inside a stretch where the club was already stacking wins instead of waiting for the lineup to bail out shaky pitching. (espn.com) For opponents, the problem is simple: if Yamamoto is missing bats in the first inning, the game can shrink fast. A pitcher who gets strikeouts before hitters see him twice lets the Dodgers save relievers, line up the next series more cleanly, and make every early run feel heavier than one run usually does. (mlb.com)