Yoshinobu Yamamoto is poised to be one of the most coveted free agents in baseball this winter, as the Japanese star pitcher makes the move to MLB. In his final Nippon Professional Baseball game on Saturday, he offered a glimpse as to why.
With his team trailing 3-2 in the Japan Series, Yamamoto got the start for the Orix Buffaloes in an attempt to force a Game 7. The 25-year-old right-hander proceeded to throw nine innings, allowing just one run on nine hits while throwing 138 pitches to secure the victory. Yamamoto also struck out 14 batters in the game, breaking Yu Darvish’s record for a single Japan Series game.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto just pitched a complete game on 138 pitches in his last start before becoming an MLB free agent
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 4, 2023
He had 14 strikeouts, breaking Yu Darvish's Japan Series record pic.twitter.com/SleSD0Kl4c
