When Yoshinobu Yamamoto first walked onto the mound at Wrigley Field, he could still see his breath. Yamamoto mimed his arm movements in the freezing cold, a sheet still covering the earth. For the past several weeks, he hasn’t often had a minute to assess his surroundings; Friday morning at least provided him with an opportunity to observe what he would be seeing the next day.
Throwing javelins through the crisp Chicago morning air, he paused for a brief talk and picture with one of the world’s few people who truly understood the shift he was going through at the time. Shota Imanaga, who played alongside Yamamoto for Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic the previous year, is scheduled to continue his rookie campaign on Sunday by making his second start for the Cubs.
Imanaga dominated Japan’s top level, just like Yamamoto did. He is not burdened with the largest deal ever offered to a pitcher, unlike his compatriot.
Nevertheless, the scene was unremarkable. the kind of casual conversation that brightens players’ regular-season days.
With their significant pitching investment, those in the Dodgers’ vicinity have been anticipating for this moment all spring.
In the initial weeks of his adjustment to Major League Baseball, Yamamoto has not had much steadiness; his first start occurred in Seoul, South Korea, across the Pacific. The next, a promising expedition was cut short by a rain delay. Pitching coach Mark Prior advised his staff to hold off until the first road trip and all of its associated activities this spring. Await the regularization of routines, as the Dodgers have changed their approach to effectively place all of their starters on regular rest.
Prior then stated that by organizing everything around those six days, Yamamoto will have time to adjust. The club can then carry on with the onboarding procedure.
For the 25-year-old right-hander in whom the Dodgers committed $375 million this season (including his posting fee), everything is new.
If Yamamoto’s first performance was an utter failure, then his last spring starts served as cautionary tales. He missed the right-hander’s command. Every adjustment brought up a fresh issue. For years in Japan, he strayed from the things that had made him so successful.
The performance is about to begin. Despite his good second start, Yamamoto acknowledged that his nerves are still present. The Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, a fellow WBC teammate, will be one of his familiar faces when he starts on Saturday at Wrigley Field.
“I believe he will still experience periods of dominance, and I believe he will experience periods of testing with strong teams, teams that employ a game plan,” Prior stated.
