Straight Talk: Yamamoto stumbles in 5-run 6th as Dodgers fall to D’backs

"Straight Talk" is a regular feature in which The Sporting Tribune's John E. Gibson offers a full translation of media availability with Dodgers Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. He will also help translate when Clippers star Rui Hachimura and L.A. Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida are asked questions in Japanese.

The job of interpreters in the heat of the moment is difficult without the ability to write down questions and answers and re-hear responses for proper context. That's where John comes in to help. John currently works as a Japanese-English interpreter and covered pro baseball in Japan for about 20 years. His experience as a sports reporter includes stints at The Orange County Register, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, The Redlands Daily Facts, The Yomiuri Shimbun’s English newspaper in Tokyo and The Epoch Times.

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-6) stumbled in the sixth inning on Saturday, surrendering five runs to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks in a 9-2 loss. Yamamoto only allowed five hits (including a three-run home run), but walked four with a half-dozen Ks for six runs over six innings.

Q: Yama, what happened in the sixth inning? Did you lose command, did you lose a feel for you mechanics?

Yamamoto: Well, unfortunately, I walked the leadoff man and that led to the runs.

Q: How about the (Gabriel) Moreno at-bat? Why was it so tough to put him away?

Yamamoto: It wasn’t a really hard-hit ball, it just happened to find some space and get through.

 Q: Overall, are you happy with your first half of the season?

Yamamoto: Well, I had a lot of good outings and I also had many outings I needed to think about. But, first of all, I’ve been able to get this far in healthy condition, so I want to carry that over and perform well going forward.

Q: (Manager) Dave Roberts said that you won’t be pitching in the All-Star Game, is your plan still to go, and if so, why is that important for you?

Yamamoto: Yes. I’m looking forward to it. Of course, if I were going to pitch, that would be the best scenario, but because of the way the calendar worked out, I won’t pitch. Still, I want to go and enjoy the atmosphere there.

Q: What went into the decision to not pitch?

Yamamoto: Yes, I’m only off tomorrow and the day after, that’s all.