Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a terrible showingYoshinobu Yamamoto had a terrible showing

Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his MLB debut. It was over in one inning after the Los Angeles Dodgers ace surrendered five earned runs.

He was one of the most sought-after free agents this year, but so far, it has not looked even remotely good.

There’s always an acclimation for new players from different countries, but Yamamoto was paid like an ace. He earned $325 million over 12 years, and many teams were in a bidding war.

Some fans, like of the New York Yankees that Yamamoto declined to sign with, ripped Yamamoto for his performance. It was an unpleasant sight for Dodgers fans, but other fans are a bit relieved that the Dodgers might not be so impossibly stacked.
“We saved 300 mill phew,” tweeted one.
Here are some of the top reactions on X:

Not everyone was as critical of Yamamoto, though.

The Dodgers trail by four runs. The offense exploded with eight runs, but their pitching has surrendered an astonishing 12 runs through seven innings as they try a longshot comeback bid.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto let down by Dodgers defense

Yoshinobu Yamamoto got blasted by fans after his start.Yoshinobu Yamamoto got blasted by fans after his start.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a very poor spring showing. In 9.2 innings, he gave up 15 hits and nine runs, all of them earned. That’s an 8.38 ERA, but a deeper look at the metrics shows that he was hardly at fault.

For starters, he had a K/9 over 13 in Spring Training. The stuff was exceptional. His defense, though, was not. Several misplays were made, and he had a 2.08 FIP, which means he was very good, but his defense was not. Even the xFIP, which goes even further, was a very solid 3.49.

The FIP isn’t yet available for his first regular season start, but it’s likely going to be much lower than his 45.00 ERA would suggest. A better play in right field might have saved Jake Cronenworth from getting a triple, changing the subsequent sacrifice fly.

Max Muncy made a poor defensive play on a grounder down the third-base line, which cost them dearly. It was an ugly start for Yamamoto, but like his spring outings, there’s more to it than that.