Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his spring training debut for the team against the Texas rangers on Wednesday.

Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke about Yamamoto's fastball command in all four quadrants of the strike zone and compared him to a former Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:

“Asked if that reminds him of anyone in particular, Dave Roberts pointed to a young Zack Greinke.”

The 25-year-old recorded illogical numbers for the Orix Buffaloes, winning the Eiji Sawamura Award (best pitcher) and Japanese Triple Crown three times each while posting a 1.72 ERA in seven seasons. His record-setting contract with the Dodgers typifies the level of excellence that is expected of him in the MLB.

In his two innings of work for the Dodgers on Wednesday, Yamamoto threw 19 pitches, allowing one hit and striking out three.

If Yamamoto is able to replicated Greinke's success for the Dodgers, it will be one of the most successful free agent signings of all time. While Shohei Ohtani received the bulk of the attention for his record-breaking deal with Los Angeles, the team needed pitching even more than another bat in the lineup. If Wednesday was any indication, Yamamoto will plug into the rotation well.

Greinke, who pitched for the Dodgers from 2013-15, is a six-time All-Star, six-time Gold Glove Award winner, two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, two-time earned run average leader, and an American League Cy Young Award recipient. At 40 years of age, Greinke has not retired yet, but is currently a free agent.