After a season-best stretch that included his longest start of the year, Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the ball for his 13th outing on Saturday afternoon against the White Sox at Rate Field, carrying dominant recent form and a chance to keep his Cy Young case sharp
CHICAGO — Coming off his longest start of the season, Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes another step forward in his routine. On Saturday afternoon, the Dodgers right-hander will make his 13th start when he faces the White Sox at Rate Field.
The numbers coming in are hard to ignore. The Dodgers have won the past three starts from Yamamoto. who has posted a 0.89 ERA in that span. allowing two runs in 20 1/3 innings. The momentum traces back to last Saturday at Dodger Stadium. when he dominated the Angels—holding them to two hits and one run over eight strong innings.
Against the White Sox, Yamamoto isn’t carrying a large sample size, but the memory is clear. The last time he pitched against Chicago, he went seven innings and allowed one run last July in L.A. In that game. he faced only three players who are currently on the White Sox’s active roster: Andrew Benintendi. Chase Meidroth. and former teammate Miguel Vargas.
The season didn’t start as smoothly. After a lull that lasted into mid-May, Yamamoto posted a 5.18 ERA across four starts from April 21 to May 12. Since then, his form has sharpened into something closer to what teams expect from an ace. He has allowed no more than one run in each of his past four starts.
That stretch has put him among the most effective pitchers in the National League. Among qualified NL pitchers, Yamamoto’s 2.68 ERA ranks seventh. His .202 opponent batting average is tied for fifth, and his 0.92 WHIP ranks second.
There’s plenty of pitching talent around him. and the conversation about the Cy Young award doesn’t wait for anybody. The Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez and the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski have emerged as favorites in NL Cy Young voting with more than three months still to go. and Yamamoto’s own rotation mate. Shohei Ohtani. represents another major test within the Dodgers.
Even with the competition, the path for Yamamoto is straightforward: keep piling up starts that look like his past three—strong innings, low damage, steady control—and let the numbers keep doing their work.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dodgers White Sox Rate Field Cy Young Shohei Ohtani Cristopher Sánchez Jacob Misiorowski