The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially made MLB history on Wednesday night against the Cleveland Guardians.
As Dodgers reporter Fabian Ardaya indicated earlier this week, the Dodgers are the only team in MLB history to have three Japanese-born pitchers start in three consecutive games. On Monday, Roki Sasaki started (Dodgers loss), and on Tuesday, Shohei Ohtani got the start in game two of the series, a 4-1 Dodgers win.
Los Angeles is going for the series win on Wednesday, but this shocking informational grab highlights the emergence of Japanese baseball players in MLB.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto Has Emerged as Top MLB Pitcher
The Dodgers signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto just two years ago, before he had even made his MLB debut. In those years since, Yamamoto has emerged as a true NL CY Young threat, and has already aided the Dodgers in two World Series victories.
He was handed over $320 million, and it is looking totally worth it after just two seasons.
In 49 total starts in his young career, Yamamoto has 312 strikeouts in 269.2 innings to the tune of a 2.67 ERA.
His Japanese counterparts are also becoming household names across the states.
Shohei Ohtani started on Tuesday, and what else would you expect from the Sho. He pitched six innings, gave up zero earned runs on just one hit allowed, and also struck out six.
Everyone knows what Ohtani can do with the bat, but this season will be just another spectacle of his superior powers.
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The Trio of Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto
After Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2024 season, all the best Japanese talent followed suit.
Yoshonobu Yamamoto signed shortly after, and then Roki Sasaki and Hyeseong Kim followed before the 2025 campaign.
Ohtani is like a strong gravitational force, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if more players from Japan sign with the Dodgers in the coming years.