The appearance served as a tune-up ahead of Yamamoto’s return to Japan to join Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic. He noted that he was focused on refining his delivery and overall feel ahead of the tournament, saying he wanted to regain certain mechanics before departing.
Yamamoto faced a brief first inning with two strikeouts on 12 pitches, but his momentum slowed after a six-run second inning and a defensive miscue contributed to two more runs. With his pitch count rising, he departed the game in the bottom of that inning, replaced by another pitcher after two outs.
Despite the limited preparation window before WBC pool play begins, Yamamoto affirmed that he was already feeling good and carried that into the outing. He acknowledged the gap between innings affected him but remains confident in his readiness for upcoming games.
The right-hander is building back up gradually after a shortened offseason and a heavy workload in the previous season, including a World Series-clinching effort with three wins in the Fall Classic. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has emphasized careful management of Yamamoto’s workload and body care as the team pursues a third consecutive title.
