‘Nothing has changed,’ Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto says of epic World Series performance

GLENDALE, Ariz. — There is no doubt it was a historic performance by Yoshinobu Yamamoto in last year’s World Series. But don’t tell him that he’s now a Dodgers legend.

“No,” he said, smiling and shaking his head when that was suggested to him after Saturday’s workout. “Nothing has changed.”

That is not as accurate as Yamamoto is with his pitches. Winning three games and the World Series MVP, closing out Game 7 after starting Game 6 – that will change things.

“He was the World Series MVP, and as a pitcher, that’s more hard to come by in modern-day baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So he was that, and we knew how valuable he was and how good … but to pitch those games, and what he did on short rest and being a stopper, all that stuff, being a staff ace for us, yeah, people know how talented, how good he is.”

Yamamoto said he didn’t dwell on the World Series experience, though he did rewatch “some specific scenes” during the offseason.

“Of course the moment of the last out, but when I reflect back on the series, there’s so many great plays we made,” he said through his interpreter.

Yamamoto’s 2025 season also included a third-place finish in the National League Cy Young voting. All of that elevates Yamamoto to staff ace for defending champion Team Japan in this year’s World Baseball Classic. He has already thrown to hitters this week at Camelback Ranch in preparation.

Despite his postseason workload following 173⅔ innings during the regular season, a short offseason and now an early start with the WBC, Yamamoto said he feels “actually better than a normal offseason.”

Roberts said he trusts that Yamamoto has prepared his body for the work and “I’m just rooting for him to pitch well and stay healthy.”

RETURN TO WBC

The Dodgers’ new closer, Edwin Diaz, will also be leaving camp soon in order to join Team Puerto Rico for the WBC. The last time Diaz pitched in the WBC in 2023, he suffered a devastating knee injury while celebrating a quarterfinal victory and missed the entire 2023 MLB season recovering from surgery.

Signing up to play again in this year’s WBC was not a difficult decision, he said, despite the bad memory. The fact that Puerto Rico’s pool play will be in San Juan was enough to convince him.

“It wasn’t in my mind,” Diaz said (of his injury). “I have the chance to play in front of Puerto Rico. That was an easy decision. Playing (there) will be my first time playing for my people from Puerto Rico. So that was an easy yes, when I knew what the WBC was going to be there.

“I think a lot of these guys (on Puerto Rico’s roster) haven’t played in front of their family, friends, the fans from Puerto Rico, so the chance to play, it’s pretty amazing.”

‘PERPLEXING’ DECISION

Mets owner Steve Cohen said in an interview this week that he found Diaz’s decision to sign with the Dodgers this winter “perplexing.”

“I’m not sure exactly how Edwin arrived at that decision,” Cohen said. “Obviously, it’s a personal decision on his part and I thought we made a pretty respectable bid.”

Diaz signed with the Dodgers for three years and $69 million. The Mets’ offer was reportedly just $3 million short of that and Cohen’s confusion might have to do with Diaz’s representatives not giving his former team a final chance to counter.

“I was a free agent, so I got the chance to talk with everyone. And I think the Dodgers did a great job recruiting me,” Diaz said when asked about Cohen’s reaction. “At the end of the day, I chose to be here. I have a lot of respect for the Mets organization, players, staff, ownership. They treated me really good. I don’t have anything bad to say about them.

“But at the end of the day, I’m here. This is a new journey for me and I’m happy to be with the Dodgers, so let’s see how it goes.”

ALSO

Returning from shoulder surgery, right-hander Gavin Stone has progressed far enough that he threw to hitters during Saturday’s workout. One of the hitters he faced was Shohei Ohtani, who walked and took a called third strike in two simulated at-bats against Stone.