Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (山本 由伸, Yamamoto Yoshinobu, born August 17, 1998) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He made his NPB debut in 2017. Yamamoto is a two-time Pacific League Most Valuable Player, a two-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner, and a three-time Japanese Triple Crown winner.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yamamoto with the Orix Buffaloes
Orix Buffaloes – No. 18
Pitcher
Born: (1998-08-17) August 17, 1998
Bizen, Okayama, Japan
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
NPB debut
August 20, 2017, for the Orix Buffaloes
NPB statistics
(through 2023)
Win–loss record70–29
Earned run average1.82
Strikeouts922
Teams
Career highlights and awards
NPB
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Japan
Summer Olympics
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Team
World Baseball Classic
Gold medal – first place 2023 Miami Team
WBSC Premier12
Gold medal – first place 2019 Tokyo Team

Professional career

Orix Buffaloes

Yamamoto made his Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) debut on August 20, 2017, for the Orix Buffaloes of the Pacific League. Yamamoto finished the 2021 season with an 18–5 record and 206 strikeouts across 193+2⁄3 innings pitched. His 1.39 earned run average (ERA) lead the league for the season.[1] Yamamoto won the Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award following the season.[2]

On June 18, 2022, Yamamoto threw the year's fourth no-hitter and the 97th in NPB, pitching the Buffaloes to a 2–0 win over the Saitama Seibu Lions.[3] In 26 starts for Orix in 2022, Yamamoto registered a 15–5 record and 1.68 ERA with 205 strikeouts in 193 innings pitched. Following the season, he was named the Eiji Sawamura Award winner for the second consecutive season.[4] He also won his second consecutive pitching Triple Crown.

On September 9, 2023, Yamamoto threw his second NPB career no-hitter, blanking the Chiba Lotte Marines. In doing so, he became the first pitcher in NPB history to throw no-hitters in consecutive seasons.[5]

International career

Yamamoto represented the Japan national baseball team in the 2019 exhibition games against Mexico and 2019 WBSC Premier12.

On February 27, 2019, he was selected at the 2019 exhibition games against Mexico.[6]

On October 1, 2019, he was selected at the 2019 WBSC Premier12.[7]

In May 2021, Yamamoto was named to the roster of the Japan national baseball team who hosted baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The Japanese baseball team went on to win gold, beating Team USA in the gold-medal game.[8] Yamamoto was also named to the Tokyo 2020 All-Olympic Baseball Team.

In 2023, Yamamoto represented Japan in the 5th World Baseball Classic winning the tournament.

Playing style

Yamamoto is a 5-foot-10-inch (1.78 m), 177-pound (80 kg) right-handed pitcher.[9] With a three-quarters delivery,[10] he throws a fastball averaging 95 mph (153 km/h),[11] which tops out at 99 mph (159 km/h),[12] a deceptive splitter, a cutter, and a curveball.[10] Scouts said that the splitter is a legitimate out-pitch at the big league level.[10] He also has great command,[13] posting a BB/9 of 2.1 in his NPB career.[14]

References
  1. "Yoshinobu Yamamoto Japanese Leagues Statistics & History".
  2. "Rising stars Munetaka Murakami and Yoshinobu Yamamoto named MVPS of 2021 NPB season". 15 December 2021.
  3. "BASEBALL | Buffaloes Hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto Tosses No-Hitter Against Lions | JAPAN Forward". 18 June 2022.
  4. "Orix ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto wins second straight Sawamura Award". japantimes.co.jp. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  5. "Japan's Yamamoto treats MLB execs to no-hitter". ESPN.com. 2023-09-10. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  6. "ENEOS 侍ジャパンシリーズ2019「日本 vs メキシコ」に出場するメンバー28名が決定". 野球日本代表 侍ジャパン オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  7. "「ENEOS 侍ジャパンシリーズ2019」出場選手決定について". 野球日本代表 侍ジャパン オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  8. "Baseball/Softball - United States vs Japan - Gold Medal Game Results". olympics.com. August 7, 2021. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  9. NPB profile (2020)
  10. "Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report".
  11. https://full-count.jp/2023/09/11/post1441807/
  12. "【オリックス】山本由伸、自己最速１５９キロ！球団日本人最速も更新 ８回１１Ｋ両リーグ最多タイ９勝". 9 July 2022.
  13. "2023 World Baseball Classic: Four international prospects to watch, including NPB MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto". 3 March 2023.
  14. "Yoshinobu Yamamoto Japanese Leagues Statistics".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.