There is plenty of hype and excitement surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2024 MLB season, and rightfully so. One of the better teams in the league over the past decade-plus, LA made some serious moves during the off-season in order to bring in some of the biggest available names in the sport. And while it is a long season with plenty of games left to be played, the debut for one of their new stars with a high-price tag couldn’t have gone much worse.
Yamamoto Struggles Mightily In Dodgers Debut
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has allowed five earned runs in his first MLB inning pic.twitter.com/qxUgZ4Xk2v
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 21, 2024
We are still a handful of days away from the official “Opening Day” of the 2024 Major League Baseball season, but a special event got underway this week as two teams are starting their schedules earlier than anyone else. The Dodgers played against the San Diego Padres in South Korea this week, known as the “Seoul Series”, which featured two games in an attempt to expand the league’s borders.
We saw a mix of results during the two contests. The Dodgers, headlined by newcomer Shohei Ohtani, were able to nab a victory in the first game by a score of 5-2, getting off on the right foot in front of 16,000 Korean fans.
5 Runs Given Up In The First Inning
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s MLB debut lasts just one inning pic.twitter.com/VzkjEuwnZb
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 21, 2024
It was a different story the following evening, though. Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed the largest contract for a pitcher in MLB history during the off-season, giving Los Angeles yet another potential superstar to look forward to having. But things couldn’t have gone much worse for the phenom in his first start with the team. Yamamoto allowed a hit on his first pitch, which turned into a disastrous 5-run first inning, which was all that he lasted before being replaced on the mound.
After one game, his stat line reads 0-1 with an ERA of 45.00. The Dodgers lost in a shootout by a score of 15-11.
There is of course plenty of time to rectify the issues, as baseball features the most regular season games of any of the four major North American sports. The Dodgers will enjoy a nice break before the bulk of the regular season gets underway, which they’ll resume on Thursday, March 28th when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals.
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