Shohei Ohtani is not the only Japanese Dodger who needs Shohei Ohtani-levels of love.
That’s no disrespect to Ohtani. The soon-to-be 4-time MVP is the GOAT. There’s no denying that.
But the 2025 World Series belonged to 1 person: Shohei’s countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Dodgers paid Yamamoto $325 million a couple years ago for a reason, and his performance this year was worth every penny.
He’ll likely be awarded his first Cy Young in the next few weeks. He was already named World Series MVP. And he did so in record fashion, tying an all-time mark with 3 wins in the 7-game series, including Ws in both Game 6 and 7.
It reminded many of the legendary performance by Hall of Famer Randy Johnson for the Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series.
It’s actually freaky how similar the 2 pitchers were…
JOHNSON
3-0 record17.1 innings pitched2 ER1.04 ERA19 Ks1 complete gameYAMAMOTO
3-0 record17.2 inning pitched2 ER1.02 ERA15 Ks1 complete gameYes, Shohei gets all the attention. And with good reason.
But it’s time Yamamoto gets just as much love, because his performance this season was every bit as legendary.
