Dodgers’ Kike Hernandez delivers 3-word verdict following Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s masterclass against Braves

Dodgers utility man Kike Hernandez recently expressed his astonishment for teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto's sensational start against the Braves. The latter carried a no-hitter until the sixth inning of the contest before giving up his first hit of the contest to Austin Riley via a double.

Known as a huge Yamamoto fan, Hernandez hasn't shied away from expressing his admiration for his teammate. Just a few weeks ago, the utility player paid tribute to the former NPB star by sporting an Orix Buffaloes cap — the team that Yamamoto started his professional career and dominated with before his MLB stint. Yesterday, he dropped a three-word reaction for the ace's brilliant start.

Hernandez expressed his admiration for Yamamoto (kikehndez/Instagram)

"My favorite pitcher!" - Kike Hernandez

Yamamoto posted an impressive one-hit performance with six strikeouts and two walks in his six-inning shift. With the victory, he claimed his fourth across seven starts as the Dodgers won their sixth straight game.

After struggling through the early parts of the campaign, the reigning champions have now successfully regained the lead of the NL West after stiff competition from the Giants and Padres.

Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto named MLB Pitcher of the Month

After a brilliant start to the year, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been included in the MLB Team of the Month for March/April. The 26-year-old was featured alongside Yankee captain Aaron Judge and Mets slugger Pete Alonso with the latter two being named as the players of the month for their respective leagues.

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Across seven starts, Yamamoto has compiled a 4-2 win-loss record with a stellar 0.90 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 49 strikeouts across 40 innings. The Dodgers ace started off his season in dominant fashion when he gave up just one run in the MLB Tokyo Series curtain-raiser against the Cubs in Japan.

Per Baseball Savant, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is within the 99th-percentile in pitching run value and the 95th-percentile in ground ball percentage. He has also been almost unhittable as he has surrendered just a poultry .171 batting average to opposing batters.

The Dodgers ace have thrown a plethora of pitches in seven starts that range from his favored four-seamer to even a sweeper. Barring any injuries, he should be a shoo-in or at least in the conversation for the NL Cy Young this year.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago