In Major League Baseball, Coors Field is infamous for being one of the most stressful venues. However, for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rookie catcher Dalton Rushing, it’s where he thrived.
At just 24 years old, the top prospect is carving out his place alongside the game’s biggest stars and earning the trust of a championship-caliber club.
How Dalton Rushing Helped Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani Dominate
Since his call-up on May 15, Rushing has been a limited but impactful presence behind the plate. With All-Star Will Smith anchoring the catcher position, Rushing’s 13 starts in 43 days showed that the Dodgers’ long-term plan with him is in full action. The Dodgers’ strategy to tap into his full potential is to fast-track his development by pairing him with their elite pitching without overexposing him.
On Wednesday, he caught Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s dominant five-inning outing against the Colorado Rockies, allowing just two baserunners in an 8-1 victory. Days earlier, he prepped with Shohei Ohtani, the reigning NL MVP, to dissect the Washington Nationals’ lineup. “It’s obviously an honor,” Rushing said postgame.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Pretty 75mph Curveball. 🪀 pic.twitter.com/1qJYj7II4a
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 26, 2025
The Dodgers, who signed Yamamoto to a record-breaking contract and rely on Ohtani’s two-way brilliance, see Rushing as a future star. His work with Clayton Kershaw’s season debut and now Yamamoto shows that the team has full faith in the potential of this young athlete to help established pitchers.
“He’s building relationships with the pitchers, and I think that’s the thing that if you do that, you get a little more grace with the pitchers,” Roberts said.
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At Coors Field, Yamamoto leaned heavily on splitter (16 pitches) and curveball (14 pitches), defying the park’s reputation for flattening breaking balls. His outing resulted in 11 whiffs.
Yamamoto said through his interpreter, “The results I got today, that was just because of the way he (Rushing) called the game.” Rushing’s strategy of avoiding overexposure of Yamamoto’s fastball kept hitters off-balance. When the Rockies rallied in the sixth, Rushing’s insistence on Alex Vesia’s slider against Ryan McMahon secured a critical out.
Rushing’s growth extends beyond pitch selection. He’s adapted to the big leagues’ situational demands, learning from veterans and the Dodgers’ staff. His pre-season mock game-planning sessions laid the groundwork, and now he’s applying it in real time.
Rushing’s bat, which made him MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 prospect, faces challenges in his backup role. Hitting .229/.327/.333 with an 88 OPS+, he’s outperformed his predecessor, Austin Barnes (46 OPS+). Last week, he went 3-for-4 with three walks in two starts, including a two-run single. To stay sharp, Rushing uses the Trajekt Arc pitching machine and takes live at-bats against rehabbing pitchers.