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Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be starting on Opening Day against the Diamondbacks, as manager Dave Roberts announced.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be starting on Opening Day against the Arizona Diamondbacks, as manager Dave Roberts announced, after pitching in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. Yamamoto is continuing an impressive streak of being a total workhorse, pitching at the start of the season for the second year in a row after shouldering a massive load throughout 2025, pushing himself hard in the offseason, and making two WBC appearances. Rather than complain or look to manage his load as many modern athletes do, Yamamoto is striving to be a true throwback ace for the Dodgers.
Rain or shine, no one was more reliable for the Dodgers in 2025 than Yamamoto, and that is proving to be the case to start 2026. Feb 27, 2026; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Yamamoto returned to Dodgers camp on Monday, and the following day, he talked about what being a back-to-back Opening Day starter means to him.
“I’m really happy to have been entrusted with the opening game, and since it’s an opening game at home, I think the fans are looking forward to it too. I want to take the mound with a sense of responsibility,” Yamamoto said in Japanese. #?????
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