Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Biography

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (山本 由伸; born August 17, 1998) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Orix Buffaloes, where he became one of the most decorated pitchers in league history. Between 2021 and 2023, Yamamoto won three consecutive Pacific League Most Valuable Player Awards, three Eiji Sawamura Awards, and three Triple Crowns, leading the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average in each of those seasons. He also threw two no-hitters and was a key figure in Orix’s 2022 Japan Series championship. Following the 2023 season, Yamamoto was posted to MLB and signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers—the largest ever for a pitcher at the time. In his rookie MLB season, he contributed to Los Angeles’ 2024 World Series title, becoming the first player in baseball history to win a World Series, an Olympic gold medal, and a World Baseball Classic title. Internationally, he has represented Japan in multiple tournaments, earning gold medals at the 2019 WBSC Premier12, the 2020 Summer Olympics, and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.