Monster pitcher’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto (25, Orix Buffaloes), who won four Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) crowns in the 2023 season, collapsed in the first game of the Japan Series.
Yamamoto appeared as a starting pitcher in Game 1 of the Japan Series against the Hanshin Tigers held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan on the 28th, and performed poorly, allowing 7 hits, 6 strikeouts, and 4 runs in 5 innings.
Yamamoto pitched in 23 games this season and showed outstanding performance with 16 wins, 6 losses, an ERA of 1.21, and 196 strikeouts, becoming the first player in NPB history to achieve four wins (multiple wins, average ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage) for three consecutive years. Yamamoto, who is entering the major league challenge by posting after finishing this season, has already received interest from numerous major league teams during the season.
Yamamoto, who led Orix to first place in the Pacific League, took the mound as a starter in Game 1 of the Climax Series Final Stage against the Chiba Lotte Marines on the 18th and was shaken, allowing 10 hits, 9 strikeouts, and 5 runs in 7 innings. Orix won 8-5 and Yamamoto also earned the starting win, but 5 runs was an unfamiliar number. Yamamoto’s most runs allowed in a game in this year’s regular season was 4 runs (6 innings) against Softbank Hawks on June 23.
Yamamoto, who returned to the mound after 10 days, pitched perfectly, allowing only two hits until the fourth inning. However, he faltered a little in the 5th inning, allowing a stolen base after being hit by leadoff hitter Teruaki Sato. Yamamoto recorded an out by hitting Sheldon Noisy with a fly ball to right field, and Sato, the runner on second base, advanced to third base.
Yamamoto gave up the first run after a timely hit by Ryo Watanabe at third base with one out and runners on. He then suffered a hit from Seiya Kinami, putting him in danger with one out and runners on first and second base. Yamamoto seemed to take a breather by getting his second out due to Seishiro Sakamoto’s sacrifice bunt failure, but with 2 outs and 1st and 2nd bases, he was eventually hit by Koji Chikamoto’s sweeping 2-RBI triple to right-center. Then, he was hit by Takumu Nakano to the left, increasing the number of runs conceded to 4. Yamamoto barely finished the inning by striking out Shota Morishita with a full count and a missed swing with 2 outs and runners on first base.
Yamamoto, who threw 73 pitches through the 5th inning, also took the mound in the 6th inning. However, unable to find stability, Yamamoto allowed leadoff hitter Yusuke Oyama to get on base with a walk after a full count. With the next batter, Sato’s advanced hit, with one out and second base on base, Yamamoto was hit by Noiji and was again in danger of reaching first and third base.토토사이트
Yamamoto got the second out by striking out Watanabe, who had recorded a timely hit first, but gave up his fifth run due to a timely hit by Kinami. It didn’t end here. In the ensuing game, with runners on 1st and 2nd bases and 2 outs, Yamamoto was hit by an RBI double that went past the 3rd baseman. In the end, Yamamoto was kicked out, leaving runners on 2nd and 3rd base. As Nobuyoshi Yamada, who took over the mound, sent in a successor, Yamamoto’s final record was 10 hits, 7 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 7 runs in 5⅔ innings.
Meanwhile, Hanshin, led by a good pitch from starter Ryoki Murakami, who allowed one hit and no runs through the fifth inning, is ahead by a large margin of 7-0 as of the sixth inning.