How does Yamamoto Yoshinobu (26), the ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a right-hander representing Japanese professional baseball, feel about Korea, a “close and distant neighbor”?
Yamamoto said at a media day held at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, on the 15th (Korea time), “The rivalry with Korea has been felt since elementary school.”
Yamamoto, who has consistently joined the Japanese national team since the 2019 Premier 12, faced South Korea several times in the process.
사진 확대 Yamamoto taking the mound against South Korea in the semi-finals of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Photo = MK Sports DB
In the 2019 Premier 12 final, he took the mound in the top of the eighth inning and allowed two strikeouts and no runs in one inning. Starting with Lee Jung-hoo (currently San Francisco), who is currently playing in the Major League, he struck out Kim Ha-sung (currently Tampa Bay) with a fly ball to center field and Kim Jae-hwan (Doosan) again with a swing and miss.
In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he led his team to victory against South Korea in one semi-final match by allowing five hits, two walks, nine strikeouts and two runs in 51/3 innings.
“When I played against South Korea, I could feel that the atmosphere of the stadium was slightly different,” he said of the different atmosphere when facing South Korea.
Did you feel motivated in particular by dealing with rivals? He said, “I think I feel that way more because I usually face Korea in important games.”
사진 확대 Yamamoto at the All-Star event. Photo by Atlanta, U.S. ⓒAFPBBNews = News1 
사진 확대 Yamamoto at the All-Star Red Carpet Show on the 16th (Korea Standard Time). Photo by Atlanta, USA = ⓒAFPBBNews = News1
He went on to say, “I’m also looking forward to the next tournament,” and expressed expectations for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, where the first round is scheduled to face off.
On the field, he met Korea as an enemy, but he belongs to the ‘Jihan faction’. Currently, he is playing with Kim Hye-sung from Korea in the Dodgers.
In an interview with a media outlet earlier, he also introduced his friendship, saying, “I’m the same person and Hye-sung talked to me a lot first, so we quickly became close while talking.”
What was Yamamoto’s reaction to seeing Sanbon Station for the first time?
In an interview video posted on the club’s social media in February 2024, shortly after signing a contract with the Dodgers, when asked about the first food he ate in LA, he said, “I went to a Korean restaurant and ate bibimbap.”
Recently, Sanbon Station on Subway Line 4, which has the same name and Chinese character, has become a hot topic. After hearing from a reporter that there was a subway station with his name in Korea, he was surprised, saying, “I found out for the first time.”
사진 확대 Yamamoto plays with Kim Hye-sung for his team Dodgers. Photo = MK Sports DB
In the second year of a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers, he has played 10 1/3 innings in 19 games this season, going 8-7 with a 2.59 ERA. He has become the league’s leading ace with 116 strikeouts at a rate of 10.0 per nine innings.
Naturally, the possibility of winning the Cy Young Award is being raised. The Cy Young Award was something that many seniors, including Hideo Nomo, who is called a pioneer of Japanese major leaguers, failed to achieve.
On the first Asian player to win the Cy Young Award, he said, “It’s really special, but at the same time, I think it’s very difficult. Anyway, I want to focus on baseball and try,” he said.
[Atlanta (USA) = KIM JAE HO, MK Sports Correspondent]