Japanese ace dominates in final start before MLB departure

Orix Buffaloes starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Kyodo News

Japanese ace has signature performance in final start before MLB departure

By Matthew Neschis | Last updated 11/4/23

In what'll likely be his final start in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave several MLB teams a glimpse at how dominant an ace he can be.

With the Orix Buffaloes staring down elimination in the Japan Series, Yamamoto turned in one of the best performances of his career to force a Game 7. The 25-year-old pitched a complete game on 138 pitches, surrendering nine hits and just one run in a 5-1 win. His 14 strikeouts set a Japan Series record, surpassing Yu Darvish, who struck out 13 while with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2007.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto helped force a Game 7 for the Orix Buffaloes in the 2023 Japan Series.

Final line: 9 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 14 K, 138 pitches

The 14 strikeouts are the most in a Japan Series game. Yu Darvish last had a 13 K game in the 2007 Japan Series pic.twitter.com/Ijy1U1TiGN
— SNY (@SNYtv) November 4, 2023

Yamamoto's historic start came on the heels of one of his worst. In Game 1 of the Japan Series, the righty lasted only 5.2 innings, giving up 10 hits and seven runs while striking out seven. Despite getting off to a shaky start in Game 7, he regained his footing as the contest went on, at one point retiring ten batters in a row.

The recent lights-out performance is another addition to Yamamoto's already-decorated resume. The 5-foot-10, 176-pound ace has won the Eiji Sawamura Award — NPB's equivalent to the Cy Young Award — in three straight years. He's additionally won the Triple Crown in each of the past three seasons, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts during that span.

At just 25 years old, Yamamoto seems to only be getting better with age. He finished the 2023 regular season 16-6, boasting a 1.21 ERA and allowing only two home runs — both the lowest numbers of his career.

After dominating the baseball world overseas, several teams in MLB are eagerly awaiting Yamamoto to join free agency this offseason. The highly coveted ace has already been linked to the Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, Yankees, Diamondbacks and Tigers, among others.

Acquiring Yamamoto's talents won't be cheap, with one insider estimating the price will start as high as $200 million for six or seven years, per the New York Post.

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