Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Friday night that right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be unavailable for World Series Game 7 on Saturday.
Well, not so fast.
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On Saturday, hours before first pitch, Yamamoto was seen warming up on the field. Roberts then spoke to the media, and said Yamamoto pitching isn’t fully out of the question.
“We’ll see how he is in catch play,” Roberts said. “But he said if he feels good, he’s definitely interested.”
Yamamoto threw 96 pitches on Saturday night, and was coming off back-to-back complete games in his previous two starts. However, he’s been the Dodgers’ best pitcher all year and postseason long, and has shut down the Blue Jays in his two World Series starts.
In Game 2, Yamamoto pitched a complete game, allowing one run on four hits with eight strikeouts. In Friday’s Game 6, he went six innings, allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts. He sent the Dodgers back to Dodger Stadium in a 1-1 series tie after Game 2. He kept the Dodgers’ season alive in Game 6.
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For what it’s worth, Yamamoto was asked on Friday night if he would be available to pitch, and said he would be ready for anything.
“If they ask me to go out, I’ll be ready,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “But I want to do my very best to cheer my team.”
Roberts was asked what it means to have Yamamoto willing to pitch in Saturday’s Game 7.
“Character. Compete. All of the above,” Roberts said. “It’s past the physical. This is the mental part of it, where he’s as strong mentally a guy as I’ve seen.”
Yamamoto won’t factor into the team’s immediate plans, as Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to start. He will likely be followed by Tyler Glasnow, with Blake Snell also waiting in the wings to be deployed after last pitching in Game 5.
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