Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the most coveted pitcher on the open market this offseason, and he quickly showed why he was the talk of the winter.
In his spring training debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, Yamamoto looked flawless, pitching two scoreless innings and allowing just one hit while striking out three batters. His day was over after facing the minimum of six hitters.
Yamamoto hit the mid-90s with his fastball and also dazzled with his curveball and splitter. 16 of his 19 pitches were thrown for strikes. It should also be noted that he wasn't facing a Rangers lineup chock full of prospects, as his three strikeouts came against some of Texas' top hitters Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Leody Taveras.