Yoshinobu Yamamoto went down in history after stepping up for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 World Series. Despite having already pitched earlier in the series, the 27-year-old ace stepped back onto the mound out of the bullpen to help L.A. clinch the title in Game 7, which also led to him being named the World Series MVP.
It was the type of heroics that turns players into legends in the world of sports. However, leading up to spring training, Yamamoto remains incredibly humble about it, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Yoshinobu Yamamoto ultimately doesn't view himself as a legend for the Dodgers and claims he was just doing his job.
“Yoshinobu Yamamoto doesn't consider himself a Dodger legend after being the World Series MVP, believing he was simply doing his job. Now, he's preparing to help lead Japan to back-to-back WBC titles.”
Before the start of the 2026 campaign, Yamamoto will be participating in the World Baseball Classic. He'll be serving as one of the main starting pitchers for Team Japan, as he and Dodgers teammate Shohei Ohtani aim to win the WBC championship once again. The last time the WBC was played was in 2023.
Yamamoto is entering the third MLB season of his career. He's played a key role in helping the Dodgers win the World Series, not just in 2025, but in 2024 as well. He's quickly turned into one of the league's best pitchers, as he enters 2026 with a career 2.66 ERA and 1.032 WHIP while totaling 306 strikeouts.
With the World Baseball Classic not beginning until early March, we may see our first glimpse of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in action during spring training. The Dodgers are set to take on the Los Angeles Angels on February 21 in their first spring training game.
