Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes feelings known on facing Braves' $65M star

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto is going from strength to strength in his sophomore season for the NL West team in 2025. The Japanese hurler had a scoreless outing against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.

Yamamoto took a no-hitter bid to the sixth inning before Austin Riley's double ended his conquest. It was the only hit off the Dodgers ace, who struck out six batters and allowed two walks.

Incidentally, the Dodgers ace allowed both walks to Braves' Marcell Ozuna. Following the 2-1 win, Yamamoto made his feelings known on facing the three-time All-Star.

"He has got the power so I was being extra careful. It is part of the reason I allowed two walks to him," Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda.

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Ozuna, who is on a $65,000,000 with the Braves, went 0-for-2 on the night, with the only run for Atlanta coming off first baseman Matt Olson's bat in the bottom of the seventh inning. Olson's solo homer off Kirby Yates sparked hopes of a late comeback for the Braves, but the Dodgers bullpen held on for the narrow win.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto reveals reason behind his continued dominance

Yoshinobu Yamamoto failed in his pursuit of a third no-hitter of his career, but his impressive control from the mound lowered his ERA to a MLB-best 0.90 for the season.

Following his fourth win this year, Yamamoto revealed the reason behind his dominance.

“I’ve been able to perform at a very high level,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “I think it’s really close to my best times in Japan. … I’m the type of pitcher that I usually attack the strike zone all the time with all my pitches. So that’s what I think it is.”

The Japanese hurler has stood out for his team at the time the defending World Series winners are struggling with injuries to several starters. Despite the injuries, the Dodgers have won six on the bounce to improve to 22-10, the best record in MLB this season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash