<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-cy-young-declaration-yoshinobu-yamamoto-opener');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dave Roberts makes Cy Young declaration for Yoshinobu Yamamoto after opener');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Dave-Roberts-makes-Cy-Young-declaration-for-Yoshinobu-Yamamoto-after-opener.jpg"></figure><h1>Dave Roberts makes Cy Young declaration for Yoshinobu Yamamoto after opener</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-18T10:39:45-07:00">March 18th, 10:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-18T10:39:45-07:00">March 18th, 10:39am</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-how-shohei-ohtani-yoshinobu-yamamoto-tokyo-series-opener-cubs">Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto</a> threw five innings of one-run ball on Tuesday morning as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-pull-off-dominant-opening-day-feat-not-seen-1979-yankees">Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs</a>, 4-1, in game one of the Tokyo Series. With a fastball that hit 98 and a splitter that baffled Chicago hitters, Yamamoto impressed his manager.</p><p>Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts has been around the game long enough to know that one start does not make a season. Still, he <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44302586/shohei-ohtani-nervous-playing-tokyo-dodgers-win-opener" rel="noopener">couldn’t hold back his excitement</a>.</p><p>“I think last year to this year, the confidence and conviction he has throwing the fastball in the strike zone is night and day,” Roberts said after the game. “If he can continue to do that, I see no reason he won’t be in the Cy Young conversation this season.”</p><p>Yamamoto missed significant time last year with a rotator cuff injury, but in 18 starts, he flashed why the Dodgers were willing to pay the $50 million posting fee to acquire him last year. He went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Yamamoto kept it up into October, following up a poor first start against the San Diego Padres in the Division Series with three more in which he went 15.2 innings and yielded just three runs.</p><p>The Dodgers made him the team’s Opening Day starter for 2025 with new acquisition Roki Sasaki set to start game two against the Cubs.</p><h2><b>The Dodgers are handling early injuries in Tokyo Series</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Mookie-Betts-Dodgers.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>All has gone according to plan on the mound for the Dodgers, but that hasn’t been the case in the batting order. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts both sat out; <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-why-freddie-freeman-late-scratch-tokyo-series-opener">Freeman is dealing with an injury</a> to the same rib that hampered him late last season, while Betts is battling an illness that has caused him to lose almost 15 pounds.</p><p>“I thought we made the right decision not playing him tonight, and we’ll <a href="https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/freddie-freeman-out-for-tokyo-series-opener" rel="noopener">see how he comes in tomorrow</a>,” Roberts said of Freeman, per MLB.com’s Sonja Chen. “So right now, I’m not too concerned.”</p><p>Freeman also eased fans’ concerns by saying this injury is not as bad as last year’s.</p><p>“Obviously, way better than last year. Last year, I needed help getting to my car that first day. I can walk. I can take deep breaths. Just felt a little something in my rib, and with it being the first game, we didn’t want it to be something lingering. So hopefully treat it today, come in tomorrow and see how it is.”</p><p>As for Betts, his illness is not believed to be contagious and he participated in workouts with the team before its exhibition games in Tokyo. Chen reports that he is feeling “<a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mookie-betts-illness-2025-tokyo-series" rel="noopener">much better</a>,” though he will also sit out the team’s second game.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dave Roberts makes Cy Young declaration for Yoshinobu Yamamoto after opener

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-how-shohei-ohtani-yoshinobu-yamamoto-tokyo-series-opener-cubs');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto played in opener vs. Cubs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/How-Shohei-Ohtani-Yoshinobu-Yamamoto-played-in-Tokyo-Series-opener-vs.-Cubs-1.jpg"></figure><h1>How Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto played in opener vs. Cubs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-18T06:46:51-07:00">March 18th, 6:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-18T07:01:39-07:00">March 18th, 7:01am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers are off to a fine start to their 2025 MLB season, as they found a way to beat the Chicago Cubs in the first game of the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday via a score of 4-1. The reigning World Series champions <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-why-freddie-freeman-late-scratch-tokyo-series-opener">missed the services of two of their best players</a> in outfielder Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman, but the Dodgers still came throught with a victory.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-what-yoshinobu-yamamoto-learn-shohei-ohtani">Yoshinobu Yamamoto started for the Dodgers</a> in a duel with Cubs star hurler Shota Imanaga. Yamamoto had trouble early in his mound duty, as he allowed an RBI double to Chicago catcher Miguel Amaya that allowed Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson to score the first run of the contest.</p><p>However, that was the only run scored by the Cubs, with Yamamoto putting together a solid body of work on the mound. He pitched for five innings, allowing just an earned run on three hits with a walk issued while striking out four Cubs batters along the way.</p><p>Imanaga, meanwhile, pitched for four scoreless frames and struck out two Dodgers while issuing a total of four free passes. Among those Imanaga retired in the Tokyo Series Opener was none other than the biggest star of them all, three-time Most Valuable Player award winner in the big leagues, Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani was the first batter in the contest but grounded out on the third pitch he faced in the first inning from Imanaga.</p><p>Ohtani disappointed anew in his next plate appearance, as he lined out to second off of an 81 MPH sweeper from Imanaga.</p><h2><b>Shohei Ohtani provides spark for Dodgers run support behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Shohei-Ohtani_4e3ef9.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>But Ohtani finally did some damage in the fifth inning when he and the Dodgers pummeled Cubs reliever Ben Brown. After Los Angeles outfielder Andy Pages drew a walk, Ohtani recorded his first hit of the season with a single to right that advanced Pages to third base. Second baseman Tommy Edman followed that up with a single to left that drove Pages home and put Ohtani to third. Ohtani would later score, thanks to a throwing error by Chicago second baseman Jon Berti.</p><p>Brown got the better of Ohtani in the sixth inning when he struck out the four-time All-Star with three consecutive strikes to end the inning and strand two Dodgers hitters on base.</p><p>In the ninth inning, Cubs Ryan Brasier gave up a double to Ohtani, who scored moments later on a single to left by outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, giving the Dodgers their fourth — and final — run of the contest.</p><p>Overall, Ohtani went 2-for-5 with two runs and a strikeout for a productive 2025 season debut. He joined Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui as the only Japanese-born players with <a href="https://x.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1901976323108512125" rel="noopener">multiple hits in a regular-season game</a> at Tokyo Dome, per Sarah Langs, and he’s also the first Japanese-born player to <a href="https://x.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1901975873625969021" rel="noopener">score two-plus runs</a> in such a game.</p><p>Yamamoto will take a rest for now after earning a win, while another Japanese star, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-rival-teams-driving-force-roki-sasaki-signing">Roki Sasaki will start for the Dodgers in the series finale</a> this Wednesday. As for Ohtani, he and LA’s offense will face Cubs starter Justin Steele.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto played in opener vs. Cubs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-what-yoshinobu-yamamoto-learn-shohei-ohtani');   ga('set', 'title', 'What Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto wants to learn from Shohei Ohtani');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Dodgers-news-What-Yoshinobu-Yamamoto-wants-to-learn-from-Shohei-Ohtani.jpg"></figure><h1>What Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto wants to learn from Shohei Ohtani</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-17T17:37:38-07:00">March 17th, 5:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-17T17:37:38-07:00">March 17th, 5:37pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There is perhaps no one more interesting figure in the baseball realm right now than Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-shohei-ohtanis-teammate-makes-michael-jordan-comparison">has a huge following from either side of the hemisphere</a>.</p><p>With the reigning World Series champions <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-viral-after-crushing-home-run-at-tokyo-dome">currently in Japan for the Tokyo Series</a> against the Chicago Cubs, the Ohtani gets a bit more amplified, with fans in his home country seemingly following every one of his movements.</p><p>Despite all the attention, four-time MLB All-Star manages to stay calm and focused on the job at hand, something that his teammate and fellow Japanese Yoshinobu Yamamoto wants to master, as the pitcher continues to navigate his way in the big leagues and the popularity that comes along with being a star hurler for a big-market baseball club while having his entire country’s attention on him.</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Yamamoto said via an interpreter, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-popularity-everywhere-in-japan" rel="noopener">expressing his amazement</a> over how Ohtani gets through the day while having everyone fixated on him (h/t Sonja Chen of MLB.com). “But I’d like to learn as much as I can from him.”</p><p>Yamamoto likely has an idea about how to tackle with the increased fame brought to him by simply playing for the Dodgers. After all, he already has a full season of experience in the big leagues under his belt. In the 2024 MLB campaign, Yamamoto went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA, 129 ERA+, 2.61 FIP and a 1.111 WHIP through 90.0 innings and 18 starts for the Dodgers, while also winning a World Series with Los Angeles.</p><p>But it’s just on a much different level for Ohtani when it comes to performing at a high level while dealing with immense popularity at the same time. In Yamamoto’s rookie season in the big leagues, Ohtani posted slashes of .310/.390/.646 and led the National League with 54 home runs to go with 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases through 159 games. His incredible all-around performance in his first season with the Dodgers earned the 30-year-old Ohtani his third Most Valuable Player in the MLB, which was also his first in the National League.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-la-yoshinobu-yamamoto-roki-sasaki-plan-tokyo-series-cubs">Dodgers will begin their World Series title defense this Tuesday</a>, with Yamamoto taking the mound versus the Cubs, who will also have a Japanese starter on the hill in the form of Shota Imanaga.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

What Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto wants to learn from Shohei Ohtani

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-la-yoshinobu-yamamoto-roki-sasaki-plan-tokyo-series-cubs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers finalize Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki plan for Tokyo Series vs. Cubs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Dodgers-news-LA-finalizes-Yoshinobu-Yamamoto-Roki-Sasaki-plan-for-Tokyo-Series-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers finalize Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki plan for Tokyo Series vs. Cubs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-11T16:56:55-07:00">March 11th, 4:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-11T16:56:55-07:00">March 11th, 4:56pm</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>What Los Angeles Dodgers fans have long assumed is now official. Yoshinobu Yamamoto <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-roki-sasaki-confident-take-after-cactus-league-debut">and Roki Sasaki</a> will start <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1899595261309288930" rel="noopener">games 1 and 2</a> of the Dodgers’ season in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Tuesday.</p><p>The Dodgers and Cubs will participate in the Tokyo Series at the aptly named Tokyo Dome on March 18 and 19. For LA, that means that Yamamoto, Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani will all return to their home country to compete in front of the fans they began their careers with.</p><p>More specifically for Sasaki, it means his first MLB start will be in his home country, maybe providing a sense of normalcy for the 23-year-old touted as a can’t-miss prospect.</p><p>So far, at least, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-roki-sasaki-dominates-cactus-league-debut">he’s lived up to the billing in spring training</a>. Sasaki made his second Cactus League appearance on Tuesday, throwing four shutout innings on only 41 pitches. That’s <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2025-03-11/dodgers-roki-sasaki-final-cactus-league-start" rel="noopener">despite walking two batters</a>, striking out two and allowing a hit.</p><p>“There were a few things that didn’t go the way I wanted today. I sort of reverted to some bad habits,” Sasaki said through an interpreter, per the LA Times. “But to have those come out in a game before opening day so that I can adjust them in time is a good thing.”</p><p>After coming out of the game, Sasaki also threw a short bullpen session.</p><h2><b>Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki are looking forward to returning to Japan with the Dodgers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Yoshinobu-Yamamoto-1.jpg"><figcaption>Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Yamamoto is one year removed from coming over to the states, while Sasaki will be a rookie in 2025. Both are returning to Japan for the first time in a professional capacity and have <a href="https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/dodgers-excited-for-upcoming-tokyo-series" rel="noopener">spoken about the opportunit</a>y.</p><p>“Obviously, all the Japanese fans must be really excited to have us back in our native country,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter, per MLB.com. “What we can do for them is get ourselves ready as much as possible and perform the best over there for them.”</p><p>Sasaki expressed a similar sentiment, touching on returning home while also living his dream as a Major Leaguer.</p><p>“To be able to pitch in Japan is going to be a really special and unique opportunity,” he said. “Obviously being able to pitch in the major leagues is something that I worked for a long time to be able to do. I’m really excited.”</p><p>The Dodgers will also play a pair of exhibition games in Tokyo on Saturday the 15th, facing the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers in a doubleheader.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers finalize Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki plan for Tokyo Series vs. Cubs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-roki-sasaki-reveals-shohei-ohtani-yoshinobu-yamamoto-helped-mlb-transition');   ga('set', 'title', 'Roki Sasaki reveals how Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto have helped Dodgers transition');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Roki-Sasaki-reveals-how-Shohei-Ohtani-Yoshinobu-Yamamoto-have-helped-MLB-transition.jpg"></figure><h1>Roki Sasaki reveals how Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto have helped Dodgers transition</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-19T20:30:04-08:00">February 19th, 8:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-19T20:30:04-08:00">February 19th, 8:30pm</time><address><a>Matty Breisch</a>Matty Breisch is a Senior Editor who specializes in NFL and WWE content at ClutchPoints. He can be read at Heavy, FanSided, The Needle Drop, Philadelphia Sports Network, and right here at ClutchPoints. Are you ready to read about football and wrestling? Well, you've come to the right place.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Dodgers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-roki-sasaki-announces-signing-dodgers-amid-blue-jays-interest">Los Angeles Dodgers officially won the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes</a>, signing the burgeoning Japanese ace to an entry-level contract, it was widely viewed as the biggest steal of the MLB offseason.<br></p><p>That’s right, after being heavily recruited by the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Yankees, the San Diego Padres, and, well, any other team the young pitcher was willing to talk to, Sasaki will officially make his MLB debut alongside fellow countrymen Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a pitching rotation that should also include Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and even<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-clayton-kershaw-la-agree-contract-spring-training"> Clayton Kershaw, who re-signed with the team </a>earlier this month.</p><p>Discussing what it’s like to get to share his MLB journey with a pair of Japanese pitchers who followed the same path in the not-too-distant past, Sasaki told reporters via his translator that he is excited to work with the duo, <a href="https://x.com/DMAC_LA/status/1892348595484967115" rel="noopener">as they are helping him in his journey</a>.</p><p>“They’ve been really helpful in guiding me through the things I don’t know about, and as games start there will be more of those things, so being able to talk to them about those things will be really helpful,” Sasaki told reporters.<br></p><p>Though he’s still a few weeks away from his first MLB action, which could come in Japan, depending on how the Dodgers stagger their rotation, Sasaki is already earning incredible praise from his skipper and fellow players for bringing some choice stuff with him stateside. Cactus League will give fans their first look, as will the series with the Chicago Cubs in Japan, and from there, Sasaki will be off to the races, going all-in on his first taste of professional action.</p><p>Will Sasaki be able to become the next great international MLB star? Only time will tell, but with Ohtani and Yamamoto by his side, it’s safe to say Sasaki has the infrastructure needed to get where he wants to be.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Roki Sasaki says that Ohtani &amp; Yamamoto have been really helpful:</p><p>"They've been really helpful in guiding me through the things I don't know about, and as games start there will be more of those things, so being able to talk to them about those things will be really helpful." <a href="https://t.co/j3HdsILsd6">pic.twitter.com/j3HdsILsd6</a></p><p>— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DMAC_LA/status/1892348595484967115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
39	4.15	14	1.38	1

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
39	4.15	14	1.38	1

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