IN PHOTOS: Yoshinobu Yamamoto's former Orix Buffaloes teammates rep Dodgers jersey to support Japanese star

Before the Dodgers signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million deal, the Japanese ace was part of the Pacific League's Orix Buffaloes, who posted him last year. The 25-year-old pitcher previously played seven seasons in the NPB for the Buffaloes before taking his talent to the West.

Recently, his former teammates at the Buffaloes sported Dodgers jerseys to show their support for Yamamoto. Dodgers Nation took to Twitter and shared images of them in Dodger Blue.

While he was with the Buffaloes, Yamamoto pitched like a beast. Not only did he become the first pitcher to win three consecutive triple crowns, he also won three straight Pacific League MVPs, three Eiji Sawamura Awards (NPB's equivalent of Cy Young), and the Japan Series (NPB's equivalent of World Series) champion.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave a pre-season indication of what's to come

On Wednesday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his Cactus League debut against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium. As expected, he immediately left everyone impressed. Yamamoto tossed two scoreless innings, three strikeouts, and allowed only one hit against the reigning champions.

“There’s a part of me that’s relieved,” Yamamoto told MLB.com through an interpreter. “From here, there will be more innings and I’m wondering how that will go. But as far as today’s game was concerned, I thought it went well.”

Manager Dave Roberts was impressed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto's imposing figure on the mound.

“He got to use his entire pitch mix. He was pounding the strike zone. He got a lot of swing and miss. He was efficient,” said Roberts. “I think for us, Shohei making his debut [on Tuesday], Yoshinobu making his debut today, very, very exciting times right now.”

The Rangers' manager, Bruce Bochy, also had his say on the new pitcher.

“Good stuff, I mean, that's obvious,” said Bochy. “That's why they signed him. But this is the first time these guys had a look at him, and I think they all were impressed with the kind of stuff he has.”

Despite not playing, Yamamoto's teammate Shohei Ohtani joined the Dodgers on the road trip to see his friend dangle hitters.

“I didn’t think he would come, so it made me really happy,” Yamamoto smiled. “[He said] that it was passable.”

With World Series expectations from the fans, the Dodgers have assembled quite a roster, which should get them near the World Series if not triumph it.