Straight Talk: Yamamoto’s strong effort starts off 7-man L.A. mound day
John E. Gibson
Host · Writer
"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.
"We really wanted to win. I wanted to get the team off on the right foot."
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 107 P) talks to the media after the #Dodgers defeat the Diamondbacks, winning 2-1 in 10 Innings. pic.twitter.com/UweVePkX42
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 9, 2026
PHOENIX — Yoshinobu Yamamoto tosses 5.2 scoreless innings and the Dodgers eventually end their skid by taking down the host Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 in 10 innings on Saturday night. Yamamoto fans six, while yielding just three hits with no walks as the first of seven L.A. pitchers.
Q: Yoshi, you guys battled in this one, even for you. How would describe just navigating through their lineup? It did seem like it was a bit of a grind, but ultimately, you were excellent.
Yamamoto: I was throwing well before the game, and even when I got into the game, I was able to take aim at the strike zone and pitch. If you wanted to say something, I guess I could have gone deeper into the game, but their lineup over there is really good. In the end, we won, so it was good.
Q: For you all just to pick up this win, what is the feeling amongst the group in how you all had to fight to win this one?
Yamamoto: We were in the midst of a losing streak, so we just wanted to finish off this one with a win. I’m sure everyone felt the same, and with everyone coming together with that feeling, I think we played a strong game all the way to the end.
Q: What’s the last week been like for you to try to get your strength back after the illness?
Yamamoto: Well, my form itself is really good and I pitched with the right amount of effort and nerves, and was able to miss some bats. And I was also able to locate my fastball, so I could throw with confidence.
Q: Physically, do you feel back to normal after being sick?
Yamamoto: Well, that was before my last start, so I was able to recover with no problem and I was able to continue practicing, so I didn’t feel like anything was out the norm – I was able to do everything as usual.
