“That was the best,” said Yoshinobu Yamamoto after his impressive start against the Washington Nationals. Finally, after 5 topsy-turvy starts, the $325 million Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher is starting to look like his peak self. However, while his six scoreless innings against the Nats were a fantastic showcase for Yamamoto, it didn’t go without some hiccups. In this case, it was a 104.8 mph hit that shook the superstar.

Baseball is a game of split seconds. Rarely do pitchers or hitters get more than a second to react to whatever is happening. Yamamoto found that out the hard way during the fifth inning. While Yamamoto was in his groove, suddenly Eddie Rosario hit a powerful 104.8 mph liner right toward the mound. Yoshinobu Yamamoto reflexively put up his arm and caught the ball. However, the crowd and the players both let out an audible gasp after witnessing the scene.

“I almost died,” Yamamoto told his manager Dave Roberts after taking that catch. Doc had entered the field right after this incident to calm the nerves of Yamamoto. The ace was perhaps only a few seconds away from a serious injury, so naturally he was rattled. Yet, amazingly, right after this, Yamamoto went back to strike out two more hitters to end the inning.

Overall, Yamamoto found this to be his best start of the season yet. For the first time since his debut, the Japanese ace was able to use all of his pitches with proper control. From his scary fastball to highly effective splitters, the Nats had no answer for Yamamoto. As a result, in his 6 scoreless innings, Yamamoto gave up only 4 hits and 1 walk. Moreover, the superstar struck out 7 batters. 

Certainly, that was the kind of start the Dodgers would want to see more. The skipper seemed highly impressed and showed his immense belief in Yamamoto in his post-game interview.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto continues to dominate as the Dodgers resume their victory march

Previously, Dave Roberts had said that Yamamoto was somewhere “in the middle” of being successful and struggling. However, this performance satisfied the Dodgers’ skipper. “It was probably his best start he has had with us,” Roberts said. “And actually, the last two have been really good.” (Via MLB.com) Later, Roberts shared that he believes that when Yoshinobu Yamamoto “executes his pitches, he can get anyone out.”

While the Los Angeles Dodgers skipper is happy with the performance of his $325 million ace, there’s even more to celebrate here. After last week turned out to be a bit of a disaster for the Dodgers, this week is proving to be a major success. The Blue Crew has swept the Nats and now enjoys a 16-11 record. So once again, the Men in Blue are rolling through their rivals; but could this stretch prove to be sustainable for them?

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