Currently, there is a temporary consolidation. However, in the early stages of the opening, the momentum was tremendous. This is the story of 26-year-old Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his second year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He started as the opening day starter at Tokyo Dome. Since then, his five appearances have been successful. He has achieved an impressive record of 3 wins and 1 loss over 29 innings. His earned run average (ERA) during this period was in the 0 range (0.93). The only loss was against the Philadelphia Phillies with 1 earned run (0 unearned) on Apr. 5 (Korea Standard Time).

Especially the institutional sector of strikeouts is dazzling. He struck out 38 batters over 29 innings. That's an average of 1.31 strikeouts per inning. There are talks that he is on a Cy Young pace early on.

Just once. He stumbled in a big match against Paul Skins on the 26th. He suffered his second loss with 3 earned runs (1 unearned) over 5 innings. Still, his cumulative performance is excellent. He has 3 wins and 2 losses and is pitching at an ace level with an ERA of 1.06.

Up to this point, everything is good. I agree he is at an MLB top level. He demonstrates the dominance expected from the ace of the strongest team, the Dodgers.

However, one question arises. It's about the nuances of labor issues.

Let's examine his work schedule. The first game on Mar. 19 was an overseas trip (Tokyo Dome series). Then, ten days later, the second appearance occurred on Mar. 29. This makes sense, considering the fatigue from long-haul flights.

Since then, it has been consistent. He works exactly once a week. Locally, this means he works every Friday, which translates to Saturday in Korea.

Yamamoto's work schedule differs from the traditional ones. Traditionally in MLB, a 5-day rotation is followed. This means he rests for four days before pitching again. Nowadays, there are a few more allowances, with many cases following a 6-day rotation.

In this sense, 'pitching once a week' is quite a break from convention.

But what does that matter? It depends on the mindset of the employer. If the employer is okay with it, who can say otherwise? Moreover, as long as he pitches well, it doesn't matter how many days he works. Performance-driven mentality prevails.

However, that's not the case. Social life is not that simple. Sometimes, one must also consider how others perceive things.

Currently, the situation at the Dodgers is not good. Some people are unable to work due to illness. Key personnel, in particular, are leaving one after another. High-salaried players like Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are either on medical leave or soon need to submit leave requests.

Of course, I understand the circumstances. The weekly rotation, meaning resting for 6 days before pitching, was an old routine from his previous job (NPB). He is accustomed to that and used to it physically.

This happened last year, his first year in the job. There were times when he worked after just 5 days of rest. So that might be the reason. He complains of various ailments. Eventually, he developed a shoulder issue. He couldn't even think about working and had to spend over a month relying on hospital care.

Moreover, this is not just his personal issue. Another pitcher from Japan faces the same situation. This junior, rumored to be physically weak, is Roki Sasaki, who also takes a consistent 6-day rest.

As a result, the whole workplace became like that. It becomes the principle for everyone to work once a week. Discussions about this situation are occurring from various places.

There is a quite famous podcast channel run by Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman. 'Baseball Bar B Cast' fiercely criticizes this aspect.

"There are several reasons why the Dodgers are looking so ugly right now. One of them is the fact that they are giving Yamamoto and Sasaki 6 days of rest. If he pitched on Friday, he should naturally pitch again the next Wednesday. That's how the typical 5-man (starting) rotation operates in MLB. Although they've broken that mold, it doesn't seem like a good alternative."

There are various statistics used to evaluate starting pitchers. One of them is the number of innings pitched. As of Mar. 30, the MLB leaders are Luis Severino (38.2 innings) and Seth Lugo (38 innings), who are in contention. 31-year-old Severino typically pitches at about 6-day intervals (5 days rest before pitching), while 35-year-old Lugo pitches at 5-day intervals.

The KBO League is similar to this. Players usually work every 5 to 6 days. If they pitch on Tuesday, they must pitch again on Sunday.

Hyun-Jin Ryu maintained an interval of typically 5 to 6 days during his time with the Dodgers. This means there were no rest days exceeding five unless under special circumstances.

Justin Verlander, even over 40 years old, still adheres to the schedule of 4 days of rest and pitching on the 5th day.

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