"Yoshinobu Yamamoto closed the book on his sophomore MLB season with six shutout innings on Thursday to help the Los Angeles Dodgers clinch the National League West title. Yamamoto finished 2025 with a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 201 strikeouts and 173.2 innings pitched across 30 starts. With 201 strikeouts, Yamamoto became the first Dodgers pitcher to reach 200 in a single season since Walker Buehler in 2021."
"While Yamamoto is not talked about enough as one of MLB's premier starters, the players in the Dodgers clubhouse recognize the caliber of player he is. "He's not forgotten on our team. He's been unbelievable," Kershaw said. "Today was just another dominant performance. "I know Skenes had a great year and he rightfully should win the Cy Young, but Yama is right there if not more. We're glad he's on our team.""
"Freddie Freeman was sold on Yamamoto's talent last season, but he was blown away by what the second-year pitcher accomplished in 2025. "I think when you look at the numbers, you've got a sub-2.5, a sub-1 WHIP, you've got 200-plus strikeouts, it's absolutely incredible what he was able to do," Freeman said. "When he got hurt last year and missed three months, then what he did in the postseason for us, it was incredible.""
Yoshinobu Yamamoto completed the 2025 season with a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 201 strikeouts and 173.2 innings across 30 starts, including six shutout innings to help the Dodgers clinch the National League West. He became the first Dodgers pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts in a season since Walker Buehler in 2021. The Dodgers invested $325 million in Yamamoto, the largest contract ever for a pitcher, and he delivered clear sophomore progression after a promising rookie year. Teammates including Clayton Kershaw and Freddie Freeman praised his dominance, durability and postseason contributions, noting Cy Young–level performance.
Read at Dodger Blue
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