Despite having a lengthy injury layoff, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a solid first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year. The Japanese pitcher played a vital role in anchoring their rotation in the postseason to help the Dodgers clinch the World Series title.
Yamamoto has made an outstanding start to the 2025 campaign and was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for April. He is indispensable to the Dodgers right now with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow currently on the IL.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Gives Up First Grand Slam As Dodgers Lose Series Opener to the D-Backs
Following an impeccable opening month to the season, Yamamoto delivered his worst performance of the year thus far in the 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Thursday evening. He was taken off the mound after 88 pitches through five innings, in which he gave up five earned runs from six hits, including two home runs.
MLB fans did not squander the opportunity to take a few shots at the Dodgers with their best pitcher taking a beating on the field. They ripped into the performance from the Japanese right-hander with their comments on social media as he gave up his first grand slam in the big leagues during the series opener against the Diamondbacks.
Yamamoto had pitched three shutout frames to start his outing, but the Dodgers had failed to score as well when he went back to the mound for the bottom of the fourth. He began the inning with a walk to Pavin Smith and a single from Josh Naylor before loading up the bases for Gabriel Moreno with a hit by pitch on Eugenio Suarez.
After falling behind 2-0 in the count, Yamamoto left an 82 mph cutter over the plate for the right-handed Moreno to drive the ball the opposite way for a grand slam over the right field wall. The first home run of the season from the D-backs catcher put the team four runs ahead in the blink of an eye.
The Dodgers never really recovered from that blow and fell further behind after Ketel Marte hit a solo for the home team in the fifth inning. The visitors scored three runs in the last two frames, but it was too little, too late to avoid a defeat in the opening clash of their four-game series.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (L (4-3), 5.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, BB, 4 K, 88 P) speaks after the Dodgers' 5-3 loss in Arizona. Get closer to the action with SNLA+, with the MLB app; including pregame and postgame at no extra cost with Spectrum Internet and Mobile services. 🔗:… pic.twitter.com/xOdPRP4A8n
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 9, 2025
Rival fans ripped into Yamamoto and the Dodgers with their posts on X. “He threw a few Yamameatballs that he probably wishes he had back,” wrote one fan.
“There’s the Yamameatballs everyone knows,” another fan posted.
“His Linsanity run is over,” wrote another commenter.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts discussed the disappointing outing of Yamamoto with the media after the end of the game. “I don’t think he was as sharp as he has been,” Roberts said. “Even the 3-2 breaking ball to Pavin Smith—if he strikes that, I think it’s a different inning, a different game. He has a count leverage on Suárez and hits him with a slider to load the bases.”
“I honestly thought Moreno took a good swing on a 2-0 cutter. It was behind in the count. To go the opposite way, really good swing. But again, I think the story is he just wasn’t completely sharp tonight.”
Despite losing to the D-backs on Thursday, the Dodgers still have the best record in the MLB. They are presently 25-13 for the season and hold a one-game lead over the chasing pack at the top of the National League West.