The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 12-year, $325 million investment in Yoshinobu Yamamoto did not pay dividends during his Major League Baseball debut. He was out after surrendering five runs in the opening inning in Game 2 of the Seoul Series between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres.
Yamamoto's start was rough. He surrendered four hits and five earned runs against the Padres. The Japanese pitcher walked one batter and struck out two before manager Dave Roberts pulled him out.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto gives up five runs and lasts just one inning in his MLB debut
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 21, 2024
- 1 IP
- 5 ER
- 4 H
- 1 BB pic.twitter.com/8eWrOGW7WE
It was not the opening Dodgers fans envisioned for their prized pitcher. But the Padres’ scoring barrage started when Jake Cronenworth’s triple brought Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. home. Cronenworth made it 3-0 thanks to a sacrifice fly by Ha-Seong Kim.
The Padres extended their lead to 4-0 after a Luis Campusano double brought Manny Machado home. Tyler Wade’s single allowed Campusano to safely reach home plate for a 5-0 lead. As a consolation for Yamamoto, the first inning ended when he struck out Jackson Merrill.
Michael Grove took Yamamoto’s place, giving up just one hit and zero runs in the second inning. Meanwhile, the Dodgers scored two runs as of the second inning, trimming the lead to three.
-Lance Fernandez