Yoshinobu Yamamoto played a major role in the Los Angeles Dodgers winning their second straight championship, as he would go on to receive the World Series MVP honor in the seven-game series win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the 2025 postseason alone, Yamamoto went 5-1 with a 1.45 ERA and recorded 33 strikeouts across six appearances, per StatMuse. Moreover, Yamamoto will go down in history for starting Game 6 to help the Dodgers extend the series to Game 7, then pitching the following day out of the bullpen.
So, how does Yamamoto follow up on his heroics from last postseason? Helping Team Japan win the World Baseball Classic and a Cy Young would be a good way. During an appearance on the Feb. 20 edition of “Foul Territory,” the California Post’s Jack Harris shared what he’s seeing from Yamamoto ahead of the WBC and 2026 season.
“With what he did in the World Series, pitching back-to-back games in Games 6 and 7, throwing two complete games in the playoffs, it was interesting to hear him say, like, ‘You know, I felt good, right? Like, I went through the offseason. My body felt strong,'” Harris said about how Yamamoto feels heading into the WBC and season.
“He’s coming to camp looking just bigger, more physically imposing. He’s going to pitch for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic. There’s a lot of optimism around camp here that he’s going to be able to handle the WBC workload. He’s going to be able to make it through another full season feeling healthy and fresh. He’s already talking about, ‘I’d love to compete for a Cy Young Award.’ Dave Roberts has mentioned him, along with a couple of his other pitchers, as Cy Young candidates.”
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Moreover, Harris went into detail about the training Yamamoto does in the offseason, which will help him prepare for the workload of the WBC and the 2026 season, in which he wants to win a Cy Young and earn that individual honor to put himself in the conversation as the best pitcher in baseball.
“The workout training methods he explained he does, it’s like body weight stuff, like handstands and push-ups and all these other things that, you know, his trainer, who was a big reason why he pitched in Game 7 last year, kind of convincing him, like, ‘Hey, you know, let’s see how you feel tomorrow when you come in,'” Harris added.
“So he trains in a really unique way. He takes care of his body in a really unique way. And at least to this point, a couple of years into his big league career, it’s worked out.”
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Meanwhile, the other Japanese starting pitcher for Los Angeles, Roki Sasaki, is also earning praise for how he has looked so far. Dodgers catcher Will Smith shared his thoughts on Sasaki, who is looking to solidify himself in the starting rotation.
“[Sasaki] looks good,” Smith told SportsNet LA. “He’s throwing the ball hard. The fastball looks really good. The splitter looks really good. He’s been working on a little cutter/slider‑type thing, just really trying to dial that in. We’re going to see him as well, just something going the other way. Yeah, he looks good.”
Moreover, Smith noted that he’s seeing a different Sasaki this year as the 2026 season approaches.
“He’s more confident,” Smith added. “I feel like he knows, you know, a little bit more of what he needs to do on the mound. He has a little better presence. It just takes a little bit of time to get your feet wet in the big leagues. You’ve got to feel success at some point, and that’s what he felt, you know, in the postseason. I’m expecting him to carry it over to this season.”
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