Yoshinobu Yamamoto, middle, poses for a photograph with supervisor Dave Roberts, left, and Government Vice President and Common Supervisor Brandon Gomes throughout his introduction as a brand new member of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball staff Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photograph/Damian Dovarganes)
Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto stated the Dodgers want to win is why he selected Los Angeles over the opposite groups perusing him and getting to affix countryman Shohei Ohtani solely sweetened the deal.
The precise-hander signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers final week that may see the 25-year-old obtain probably the most assured cash ever given to a pitcher. The membership additionally paid greater than $50 million to his former Nippon Skilled Baseball staff to pry him away.
“I’m past ecstatic to change into a member of this historic franchise,” Yamamoto stated in English at a press convention at Dodger Stadium earlier than responding to questions via an interpreter.
“I can’t specific how a lot it means to me to have the ability to name Los Angeles my new house.”
Yamamoto was named the highest pitcher in Nippon Skilled Baseball for the final three seasons wherein he received the pitching triple crown every year, that means he led the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
He received a gold medal on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and helped Japan to victory on the World Baseball Basic this 12 months.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani solutions questions throughout a baseball information convention at Dodger Stadium Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photograph/Ashley Landis)
Yamamoto stood on the identical stage and sang the same tune about successful as Ohtani did earlier this month when the dual-threat celebrity held his introductory press convention.
Ohtani stated he prioritized successful too and put his cash the place his mouth is, deferring 97% of his 10-year, $700 million contract for a decade to allow the Dodgers to signal top-tier expertise like Yamamoto.
“Via my talks with the entrance workplace it was actually clear that they needed to win,” Yamamoto stated.
“However on high of that, the truth that Shohei was doing that signaled that it wasn’t solely the entrance workplace, it was the gamers that purchased into this successful environment as nicely.
“That actually resonated with me.”
Yamamoto stated coming to Dodger Stadium as an adolescent to see Japanese nice Kenta Maeda pitch a playoff sport drew him to MLB and the staff.
“That sport actually made me really feel strongly about wanting to come back abroad to play within the massive leagues,” he stated.
Expectations can be sky excessive for the Dodgers, who adopted their 2020 World Collection triumph with three straight 100-win seasons that resulted in post-season flops.
“From right this moment shifting ahead, I promise to all of the followers in LA to focus my every thing to change into a greater participant and to change into a world champion as a member of the Dodgers,” he stated.
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“I’ll cease merely admiring the gamers I’ve appeared as much as and attempt to change into the participant others wish to change into.”