Finally, the moment has come. The Los Angeles Dodgers have announced the signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. After a month-long battle that took several turns, the Dodgers came out of it as winners. Now that the Dodgers’ new no. 18 has entered the scene, Yoshi’s surrounded by questions. The biggest one being – What did Shohei Ohtani say to Yamamoto before his deal with the Dodgers?

It is a well-known fact that Shohei Ohtani was actively involved in the Dodgers’ meetings with Yamamoto. Now the ace has revealed what Ohtani said Yamamoto when he first entered the free agency market.

The unending support of Shohei Ohtani for Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Normally when a team involves one of its stars in a meeting with their target, the player’s job is to convince that target to come to the team. But the one thing we know about Ohtani is that he doesn’t like doing things the normal way. In a recent interview with MLB Network, Yoshinobu Yamamoto revealed how instead of convincing him to join the Dodgers, Ohtani just showed his belief in the ace.

Yamamoto said, “He was never really pushy about “Hey join the Dodgers!,” and mentioned no matter where you end up, I will support you.” Following this, Yamamoto revealed how Ohtani was always available to him and answered every one of his queries. Yamamoto has already revealed that he was interested in the Dodgers from the beginning. But this unconditional show of support by Ohtani may have also made things easier for Yamamoto. 

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While reports always showed that there was stiff competition between Dodgers and other suitors, Yamamoto’s desires were clear right from the start. But it sure looks like Ohtani knew where Yamamoto’s heart lay. Instead of trying to force Yamamoto, Shotime just showed him the way around the league.

In a way, it shows how Ohtani prefers to help his compatriots, irrespective of whether they join him or not. At the same time, it seems like there was another experience that played a part in Yamamoto coming to the Dodgers.

The Los Angeles Connection

During his introductory conference, Yamamoto revealed his LA connection. When answering if watching Kenta Maeda play in the Blue Crew influenced him in any way, Yamamoto said, “When I was 19, I did come to watch a playoff game here, and in that game Kenta Maeda did throw and it made me feel more strongly about coming overseas to play in the big leagues.” 

In a way, this arrival had been building up for quite some time now. But no one would have thought that two of the biggest Japanese superstars, Yamamoto and Ohtani, would play in the same team. But now that they are, could it spell trouble for the rest of the league? Are we about to witness a new baseball dynasty?

Read more: Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto Inspire Exciting NPB Trend, as Japanese Stars Dominate Free Agency