'157.6km! 4 innings 8K 1 run', Yamamoto gets scarier...After 87 days, Cubs hitters melted
Sep 11, 2024
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Yamamoto started the home game against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on the 11th (Korea time) and struck out eight in four innings, allowing four hits and one run.
It is the first time in 87 days that Yamamoto has taken the mound in the big league since the game against the Kansas City Royals on June 16.
At that time, he complained of pain in his right triceps during the game against Kansas City and was listed as injured the next day. As the rehabilitation was longer than expected, he returned with about three weeks left before the end of the season.
Yamamoto struck out all three batters in the top of the first inning to announce a strong start. In 1B2S, he led Ian Happ to swing and miss by dropping an 80.9-mile curve on the fourth pitch on a one-bound basis, and then struck out Dansby Swanson with a 92.8-mile low splitter. Japanese batter Seiya Suzuki was then overwhelmed by striking out a rookie by poking a 97.6-mile fastball with an outside strike on the seventh pitch in the full count.
In the second inning, he struck out the lead Cody Bellinger with a low splitter in the middle of 92.4 miles and gave up a left-handed hit to Isaac Paredes, but he struck out Michael Bush and gave up a heavy hit to Nico Horner, driving him to first and second bases with two outs. He then allowed Pete Crow-Armstrong to make an infield hit to the first baseman, giving him his first run. The ground ball could have been caught by first baseman Freddie Freeman, but as an irregular bound occurred, it hit Freeman and flowed into the foul area, and second baseman Paredes dug home. Yamamoto caught Miguel Amayeo on a fly to right field and prevented additional runs.
He continued his exciting pitching in the third inning with the score tied 1-1. Yamamoto, who cooked the lead Hep swinging and Swanson striking out, struck out Suzuki again with a 92.5-mile body splitter.
In the fourth inning, when the 1-1 balance continued, he ended the inning by inducing a double play. Yamamoto, who gave up a heavy hit after throwing a sinker on the third pitch to Paredes after one out, threw Bush a 77.3 mile curve toward his body on the second pitch and led to a double play by the first baseman.
Yamamoto turned over the mound to Ryan Brazier in the top of the fifth inning for a 2-1 lead.
Yamamoto threw 69 pitches, including 21 fastballs, 19 splitters, 17 curves and one slider and sinker each, with a maximum speed of 97.9 miles (157.6 kilometers) and an average of 96.3 miles. The average restraint was 0.8 miles faster than the 95.5 miles before the injury.
Yamamoto returned on the same day after allowing three hits, two walks, five strikeouts and three runs in four innings in the previous two minor league rehabilitation appearances. There was a possibility of another Triple-A rehabilitation as it has not yet reached the number of pitches worth five innings, but it was decided to return on the same day in line with the situation within the team due to the collapse of the rotation at the end of the season.
jhno@sportschosun.com
