When Yoshinobu Yamamoto stepped into MLB, he was already a superstar. The ace was perhaps the biggest pitching export from Japan since Masahiro Tanaka. A 3x PL MVP – Yamamoto was not short of accolades. But all of that happened in Japan. The Major Leagues are a different level and the ace got a taste of it during his very first game. However, slowly the Los Angeles Dodgers’ star is regaining confidence and that doesn’t bode well for the competition.

Ever since his disastrous debut, Yamamoto has been slowly working his way back towards gaining control over his pitches. The superstar followed that debut with two good performances. However, he followed that up with two average ones. But yesterday Yamamoto came unto his own against the Washington Nationals. So good was his performance (and those reflexes) that the Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts couldn’t help but praise this 25-year-old.

During his postgame conference, Roberts was asked about Yamamoto’s growing confidence. To this Doc said that while the pitcher had done it all in Japan, he still had a lot to figure out in the major leagues. “It’s one of those, you don’t know who you are or what you are until you’re in it, until you face other players and other teams,” Roberts said. “So there was still kind of trying to figure out how his (Yamamoto’s) stuff plays in the big leagues.”

However, the skipper later gave a rousing stamp of approval to Yamamoto. “I think that these last two (starts) show that when he executes his pitches, he can get anyone out. And I expect this to dovetail into more confidence,” Roberts said.

Certainly, it can help Yamamoto. The ace is gradually developing into a towering presence on the mound. With another stellar performance, the superstar’s aura affected even his opponents.

How Yoshinobu Yamamoto is slowly becoming everything the Dodgers paid for

Yoshinobu Yamamoto declared in his postgame conference that this was the best start he’s had so far in the season. With 6 scoreless innings pitched, Yamamoto gave away just 4 hits and 1 walk. On top of that, the superstar struck out 7 batters. Throughout his spell, the Washington Nationals couldn’t find a way to break through Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s rhythm. This was something that the Nats’ first baseman Joey Meneses noted. 

“He pitched very well,” Meneses said to MLB.com. “He has great command of the zone and he’s got great pitches. Obviously, we were unable to do anything off of him today.” If this is the sign of things to come, the Los Angeles Dodgers are certainly in for a wild ride. During his NPB days, Yamamoto was known for his great control and vast collection of pitches. However, his major league debut lacked both of them.

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Until now the ace had been struggling to balance his fastball and splitter. But as one witnessed in the game, the moment Yamamoto struck a balance he became almost unplayable. With his confidence growing quickly – there might be a lot more yet to be seen of this $325 million superstar.