Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto won a World Series in his rookie year, made the All-Star Game in his second season and threw two complete games in his last two postseason starts.
Despite the incredible start to his career, the pitcher has much higher ambitions for himself.
Yamamoto stated that he wants to surpass teammate Clayton Kershaw, who is certainly on his way to the Hall of Fame after his retirement at the end of the 2025 season.
“I think from my heart I want to be a top pitcher like Kershaw, and I want to do my best to one day surpass my great senior,” Yamamoto said.
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Yamamoto, 27, has put up unreal numbers in his first two seasons in the MLB, with a 3.00 ERA through 18 starts in 2024 and a 2.49 ERA through 30 in 2025. The right-hander was the only Dodgers pitcher to make 30 starts on the mound during the 2025 regular season, and also led Dodgers pitchers with a 5.0 bWAR – the following which came closest. Tyler Glasnows 1.9.
His postseason numbers have also been stellar over the past two seasons, with eight total starts and a 2.47 ERA.
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While his numbers are fantastic considering the sample size of two seasons, Kershaw is in a league of his own.
The southpaw leads active players with a 2.53 regular-season ERA during his 18 years in the MLB, and has won an MVP, three Cy Young awards and two World Series. In addition to these accolades, Kershaw has also appeared in 11 All-Star Games.
Although the gap between the two is wide at the moment, Yamamoto is having a fantastic career and could quickly close the gap if he continues on the track he is on. His next challenge comes in Game 6 of the World Series, where he will try to tie the series at three points.
Game 6 kicks off Friday, October 31 at 5:00 PM PT.
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
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