The Los Angeles Dodgers' Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (27) has lost some momentum. The only 0-point earned run average in Major League Baseball has risen from the 1-point range to the 2-point range over two games.

Yamamoto started on the 15th (Korean time) in a home game against the 2025 Oakland Athletics at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, pitching 6 innings, allowing 4 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, striking out 6, and giving up 3 earned runs, achieving a quality start and leading the Dodgers to a 9-3 victory.

In the 3rd inning, he allowed a game-tying two-run home run to Tyler Soderstrom, and in the 4th inning, after issuing a walk to Shea Langeliers, he allowed a go-ahead RBI double to Miguel Andujar. However, he held on until the 6th without allowing any more runs, and following Kim Hyesung's game-tying solo home run in the 5th, Miguel Rojas delivered the go-ahead winning double in the 6th, getting help from the offense to secure the victory.

Achieving his 5th win of the season (3 losses), Yamamoto's earned run average, however, increased from 1.80 to 2.12. In his 7th start on the 3rd against the Atlanta Braves, he maintained a league-only 0-point earned run average of 0.90, but after absorbing 5 earned runs over 5 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 9th, his record rose to 1.80.

Subsequently, he allowed 3 earned runs in 6 innings, breaking his 1-point earned run average. His 2.12 earned run average ranks 3rd in the National League (NL) and 10th overall in Major League Baseball. Although it remains an impressive record, his recent two games, covering 11 innings with 8 earned runs, completely broke his historically excellent pace.

After completing the opening series in Tokyo, following his first appearance in the U.S., Yamamoto maintained a 6-day rest rotation over 5 consecutive games to align with his pitching intervals from his time in Nippon Professional Baseball. However, he has recently pitched two consecutive games with only 5 days rest. Coincidentally, he fell short of expectations in both games, making the universally accepted 4-day rest in Major League Baseball difficult to attempt.

Seeing Yamamoto's pace fall more quickly than expected reminds one of how remarkable Ryu Hyun-jin's (38, Hanwha Eagles) monster season with the Dodgers in 2019 was. Ryu maintained an earned run average in the 1-point range (1.64) over his first 23 games of the season, holding that pace until August 18 against Atlanta, where he was a Cy Young Award candidate.

While aiming for a sub-1.00 earned run average in regulation innings as the first Asian pitcher, Ryu collapsed in consecutive games against the New York Yankees on August 24 (4⅓ innings, 7 earned runs) and against Arizona on August 30 (4⅔ innings, 7 earned runs), thus breaking the 1-point earning average. He ended the season with an earned run average of 2.32. Although he missed the 1-point average, Ryu finished 1st in the National League (NL) and became the first Asian pitcher to hold that title.

Of course, with the season still long, Yamamoto could aim to regain a 1-point average if he can lift his performance again. In an interview after the game on the 15th, Yamamoto noted, “I was giving up a lot while falling behind in the count. There were also times when I didn’t throw to the intended spots, and there were various reasons. I confirmed the basics of pitching again and managed to hold on somehow,” also commenting on the 5-day rest rotation, “Given that it’s one day shorter, I can adjust more carefully each day. I’m adjusting well within the 5-day rest rhythm.”

The Dodgers, who were expected to have the strongest starting rotation, have seen key pitchers like Blake Snell (shoulder inflammation), Tyler Glasnow (shoulder inflammation), and Roki Sasaki (shoulder impingement syndrome) go down one after another to the injured list. In the meantime, Yamamoto remains the only one to pitch in regulation innings, leading the Dodgers' starting rotation. He expressed his sense of responsibility, saying, “With the season being very long, it’s unavoidable that injuries occur. I will fulfill my role properly within that and pitch for the team.”

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