On November 1, 2025, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays by just one run at Rogers Centre, clinching their second World Series title in two years. While the match itself was unbelievably exciting, the spotlight was on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the series.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was born on August 17, 1998, in Okayama, Japan. Seeking stronger competition and better opportunities, he decided to play for Miyakonojō High School in Miyazaki before being drafted 4th by the Orix Buffaloes in 2016. During his time in the NPB, he gained quite a bit of popularity and dominated the league, winning three consecutive MVP awards by 2023, leading to his signing with the Dodgers later that year.
Upon his move to Los Angeles, critics and fans doubted Yamamoto’s ability as a Japanese pitcher to adjust to the more intense, fast-paced pitching schedules in Major League Baseball. In addition, his strong belief in flexibility and mobility training instead of lifting weights also raised concerns about whether he would have enough power and explosiveness to face bigger and stronger hitters. In spite of the doubts and criticism of his training methods, Yamamoto proved himself again on the biggest baseball stage in the world, the MLB World Series.
In all three games he pitched against Toronto, the Dodgers were victorious. Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw all nine innings in Game 2, six innings as a starter in Game 6, then entered as a reliever in Game 7, right after throwing 96 pitches the previous day, winning the series for Los Angeles in 11 innings. Yamamoto achieved an incredible ERA of 1.02 (allowing only one run per game!), and was named Most Valuable Player, making him the second-ever Japanese player(after Hideki Matsui in 2009), and the first-ever Japanese pitcher to win said award.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ victory and, more importantly, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s success, are very significant to Japanese baseball fans. His journey, which began on local fields and culminated with him holding the World Series MVP trophy, serves as the ultimate example for the Japanese youth that dedication, courage, and a “big heart” can silence any doubt and criticism and conquer the toughest challenges.
