Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s first season in Major League Baseball was a big success.
The Los Angeles Dodgders’ 26-year-old right-handed pitcher compiled a 7-2 record with a 3.00 ERA, while recording 105 strikeouts during the regular season.
He then pitched in four playoff games, including the 6.1 innings produced while giving up only one earned run in the team’s Game 2 win over the New York Yankees en route to the Dodgers eventually winning the 2024 World Series.
Getting through that first year in the Majors, Yamamoto was able to draw inspiration from another Japanese sensation in Naoya Inoue, the undisputed super bantamweight world champion, who defends his crown against Ye Joon Kim on Friday in Tokyo.
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Yamamoto met Inoue in New York City last year and considers him a source of motivation throughout his first year with the Dodgers.
“This year, I had the opportunity to interact with Inoue in New York, and being able to talk with Inoue, who continues to compete at the top of the world, was extremely motivating for me as I compete in my first season in the Majors,” Yamamoto told DAZN News.
Although the 17-hour time difference between LA and Tokyo would make Yamamoto’s task of watching an Inoue fight challenging, the Dodgers pitcher has managed to try to follow the “Monster” and his latest conquests in the ring. Of course, there’s nothing like watching Inoue live as Yamamoto got to experience back in December 2022.
“I previously watched Inoue’s match against Paul Butler live at the venue,” Yamamoto said about the fight at Ariake Arena in Tokyo where Inoue detonated an 11th-round KO. “And I always pay close attention to Inoue’s matches even when I’m in America.”
In some ways, the motion, precision and velocity at which Yamamoto is able to generate a pitch can be compared to Inoue punching cleanly and with speed in the sense that they often leave the hitter across from them in the same position — knocked out. All to the delight of Japanese fans’ — and many more beyond.
“As a fellow athlete, I respect Inoue, who continues to exceed the expectations of his fans,” Yamamoto said. “As a fan, I look forward to a spectacular KO victory in this match as well.”
We'll see if the "Monster" can deliver the latter and notch his 10th straight knockout.