Coming off a World Series MVP, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start opening day for the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 26 against the Arizona Diamondbacks
The 2025 World Series MVP will be the first Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher on the mound in 2026.
For the second year in a row, the Dodgers named RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto as their Opening Day starter for the 2026 season. He will be on the mound when the Dodgers take on the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 26 at Dodger Stadium.
“It is a pretty easy decision, considering that it’s an honor to be the Opening Day starter,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said. “He started for us last year on the road. But for him to get that start on Opening Day at home, I think it’s going to be special.”
Dave Roberts confirms Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter and shares the plan for Shohei Ohtani. ⚾ pic.twitter.com/l14YcJlNuW
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) March 17, 2026
The 27-year-old starter has been a key part of the Dodgers’ back-to-back World Series runs. In 2025, Yamamoto went 12-8 with a 2.49 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 173.2 IP across 30 starts, as he placed third in National League Cy Young voting.
Yamamoto then turned on a second gear in the playoffs, where he pitched 37.1 innings across six appearances with a 1.45 ERA. This included two complete games — one in game two of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers and another in game two of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. He followed up his World Series complete game with six innings of one-run ball in game six and then came out of the bullpen to throw the final 2.2 innings to secure the title.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws a COMPLETE GAME to even the World Series at 1-1 🔥
Series now shifts to LA 🍿
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/tdXuim9rQr
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 26, 2025