Yamamoto 'ecstatic' to join Ohtani and the Dodgers
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[December 28, 2023]
By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) - Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto said the
Dodgers desire to win is why he chose Los Angeles over the other
teams perusing him and getting to join countryman Shohei Ohtani only
sweetened the deal.
The right-hander signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the
Dodgers last week that will see the 25-year-old receive the most
guaranteed money ever given to a pitcher. The club also paid more
than $50 million to his former Nippon Professional Baseball team to
pry him away.
"I am beyond ecstatic to become a member of this historic
franchise," Yamamoto said in English at a press conference at Dodger
Stadium before responding to questions through an interpreter.
"I cannot express how much it means to me to be able to call Los
Angeles my new home."
Yamamoto was named the top pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball
for the last three seasons in which he won the pitching triple crown
each year, meaning he led the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
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He won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and helped Japan
to victory at the World Baseball Classic this year.
Yamamoto stood on the same stage and sang a similar tune about
winning as Ohtani did earlier this month when the dual-threat
superstar held his introductory press conference.
Ohtani said he prioritized winning too and put his money where his
mouth is, deferring 97% of his 10-year, $700 million contract for a
decade to enable the Dodgers to sign top-tier talent like Yamamoto.
"Through my talks with the front office it was really clear that
they wanted to win," Yamamoto said.
"But on top of that, the fact that Shohei was doing that signaled
that it wasn't only the front office, it was the players that bought
into this winning atmosphere as well.
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![](../images/122823PIX/sports12.jpg)
Dec 27, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting
pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) arrives for an introductory press
conference at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne
Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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"That really resonated with me."
Yamamoto said coming to Dodger Stadium as a teenager to see Japanese
great Kenta Maeda pitch a playoff game drew him to MLB and the team.
"That game really made me feel strongly about wanting to come
overseas to play in the big leagues," he said.
Expectations will be sky high for the Dodgers, who followed their
2020 World Series triumph with three straight 100-win seasons that
ended in post-season flops.
"From today moving forward, I promise to all the fans in LA to focus
my everything to become a better player and to become a world
champion as a member of the Dodgers," he said.
"I will stop simply admiring the players I have looked up to and
strive to become the player others want to become."
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Chris Reese)
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