"400 Billion Won Bust? NO!" ๐คฏ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Awakened as 'Postseason Hero'! (ft. Pitching Style, 'Shoulder Injury' Weakness, Tim Lincecum Comparison)
Folks! Folks! ๐ฒ Did you watch Game 3 of the **'2025 MLB World Series'** yesterday (November 1st)?
LA Dodgers' Japanese pitcher, **Yoshinobu Yamamoto**, truly delivered an 'insane' masterful performance against the New York Yankees, leading his team to victory! ๐ฅ
"What? I thought he was a $300 million (approx. 400 billion KRW) bust...?" ๐
Criticized for managing only '90 innings' due to a shoulder injury last year (2024), this year (2025) he has dominated the regular season and has perfectly awakened as a 'Postseason Hero'! ๐
"They say he massacred Japanese baseball... What kind of pitcher is he?" ๐ง
A monster shining with Japan's unprecedented '3 consecutive Sawamura Awards' and '3 consecutive MVPs'!
I'll meticulously cover everything, in over 1500 characters: **how Yoshinobu Yamamoto is conquering MLB**, including his 'pitching style' and 'weaknesses'! ๐
In the winter of 2023, Yoshinobu Yamamoto donned the LA Dodgers uniform for a record-breaking pitcher's contract: '12 years, $325 million'. Expectations were sky-high. He had 'massacred' NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) with '3 consecutive pitching Triple Crowns (or Quadruple Crowns)', '3 consecutive Sawamura Awards', and '3 consecutive MVPs' ๐—records straight out of a 'comic book'.
However... his first MLB season in 2024 was nothing but disappointment. ๐ฅ A 'shoulder injury' led to a long absence, limiting him to just 90 innings. "Is his small stature (178cm) his limit after all?", "He's a 400 billion won bust." Criticisms poured in.
And now, in 2025! ➡️ He has perfectly awakened as one of the 'league's top starting pitchers'! ๐ฅ
Especially witnessing his dominant performance against the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the World Series yesterday... he proved that "the real deal is indeed the real deal." What happened in just one year?
1. "The 5-Tool Player of Pitching" (In-Depth Analysis of Yamamoto's Pitching Style) ๐
Yamamoto's greatest strength is that he is a **'complete pitcher with no apparent weaknesses'**. Like a '5-tool player' in batting and fielding, he possesses all the virtues required for a pitcher!
- [Pitch Arsenal] (All pitches are A-grade or better! ๐ฏ)
- Four-Seam Fastball (Avg. 153.5km/h): While its pure power is about MLB average, it's highly effective due to the 'pitching tunnel effect'. (See Q&A below for details!)
- Splitter (Avg. 144km/h): His **'signature pitch'** from his NPB days, known as a 'magic ball' for its sharp drop! ⚾️
- Cutter (Avg. 146km/h): His second weapon, newly adopted after transitioning to a starter role for greater innings longevity, aiding efficient pitching.
- Curveball (Avg. 125km/h): A slow curve with an incredible break, perfectly disrupting hitters' timing.
- Sinker/Slider: He mixes these in occasionally to confuse hitters, enriching his pitching repertoire.
- [Control] (Command: 80 points! - Near Perfect!)
- He has the ability to throw all these pitches **precisely 'where he wants them to be'**! In baseball, control is referred to as 'Command', and Yamamoto demonstrates near-perfect command ability.
- The secret to his awakening in the 2025 season is the full revival of this 'Command'. By meticulously attacking the borderlines of the strike zone, he avoids giving up extra-base hits! ๐
- [Defense] (Strong Candidate for Gold Glove!) ๐งค
- He has a stellar record from his NPB days as a **'3-time consecutive Golden Glove winner'**!
- Thanks to his experience as an 'infielder' in his youth, his pitching defense is exceptional, even in MLB. He calmly fields hard-hit grounders in front of the mound or deftly handles surprise bunts with accurate throws, showcasing 'masterful defense'.
- He is considered a "strong candidate for the Gold Glove in pitching" in MLB! ๐ฒ
2. Q&A: "Four-Seamer... It's ordinary, so why can't MLB hitters hit it?" (The Magic of the Pitching Tunnel!) ๐ง♂️
Among Yamamoto's pitches, the velocity and spin rate of his four-seam fastball are not exceptional in MLB. So why do hitters struggle to effectively hit his four-seamer?
- ❓ Q. "With an average speed of 153km/h and a spin rate of 2200rpm... On paper, it's an ordinary four-seamer, so why do MLB hitters struggle to hit it?"
- ๐ ฐ️ (This is the 'real' TMI!) ➡️ It's because of the **'Pitching Tunnel' effect!**
- 'Pitching Tunnel' refers to how multiple pitches thrown by a pitcher appear to the batter to be **traveling on the 'same trajectory for as long as possible'** before 'sharply breaking' near home plate.
- (In Yamamoto's case):
- His **153km/h Four-Seam Fastball** and
- **144km/h Splitter (a dropping pitch)**
- In 2024, many of his splitters were 'mistakes' (lacked control), leading to hard hits, but in 2025, with his command fully established, the 'four-seamer + splitter' combination is perfectly revived!
3. '178cm, 80kg'... His 'Weaknesses' and the Secret of His 'Pitching Form' (ft. Tim Lincecum)
Of course, even for the 'monster pitcher' Yamamoto, there are clear 'instabilities' that need to be overcome.
- [Weakness 1] Small Stature & Durability (Currently Ongoing ๐ฅ)
- **178cm, 80kg**... This small stature is significantly below the MLB pitcher average (approx. 188cm height, 98kg weight). It's even smaller than the NPB pitcher average.
- As he managed to pitch only 90 innings due to a 'shoulder injury' in 2024, questions about his **'durability'** for continually throwing 150km/h+ fastballs with his small frame still remain.
- [Weakness 2] '5-Day Rest' Adaptation to Starts (Physical Burden)
- In NPB, 'starting after 6 days of rest' is typically the standard rotation. In contrast, MLB typically operates on a '5-day rest' schedule.
- In the 2025 season, when the Dodgers' starting rotation (Ohtani, Snell, Glasnow) suffered consecutive injuries in June-July... Yamamoto was forced to pitch with '5 days of rest'.
- Result ➡️ His performance was 'extremely poor' due to physical issues stemming from the unfamiliar pitching interval! ๐ฑ
- (Fortunately, the Dodgers are currently managing him with a default '6-man rotation'!)
- [TMI] The Secret of His 'Javelin Throwing' Pitching Form? (Compared to Tim Lincecum!) ๐คธ♂️
- "How does someone so small throw 159km/h fastballs?" This is a question that surprises many baseball experts. The secret lies in Yamamoto's **'exceptional flexibility'** and **'unique pitching form'**!
- Instead of traditional weight training, he maximizes his physical elasticity through **yoga-level stretching, bodyweight exercises, and even 'javelin throwing'** training!
- (Comparison: Tim Lincecum) Former San Francisco Giants legendary pitcher Tim Lincecum also threw fastballs despite his small stature. Both are similar in how they harness the full body's instantaneous elasticity to its extreme.
- (Difference!) ➡️ Lincecum had a dynamic form that heavily stressed his 'elbow', leading to a short prime and high injury risk.
- ➡️ Yamamoto's form is concise and efficient, focusing on his **'shoulder' and 'rotational force (centrifugal force)'**! (Like pitcher Im Chang-yong, whose flexibility was his strength, Yamamoto is supple!)
- Due to this, he was assessed to have a **lower risk of 'elbow' injuries (Tommy John surgery)**. (However... his 'shoulder'... ๐ฅ his 2024 shoulder injury makes his durability still a big concern.)
Having overcome his struggles in 2024, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has perfectly awakened in 2025 as one of the 'league's top pitchers' and a 'Postseason Hero'! ๐
He is washing away the stigma of being a '400 billion won bust' and proving "why he was the greatest pitcher in NPB history" on the MLB stage. Can his 'pitching tunnel' and 'masterful defense' lead the LA Dodgers to a World Series championship? ๐
Folks, what did you think of Yamamoto's 'revival'? ๐ค Can he successfully overcome the risk of his 'small stature' in the future? Share your opinions in the comments! ๐
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