Former Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) No. 1 starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (25-Oryx Buffaloes) is officially on his way to Major League Baseball (MLB).굿모닝토토 주소
“Orix has allowed Yamamoto to sign with an MLB team through its posting system,” multiple Japanese media outlets and MLB.com reported on Friday. Game 5 was the seventh game of the Japan Series between the Hanshin Tigers and Oryx Buffaloes. Hanshin won the game and took the championship, ending the Japanese league’s season. The Orix organization immediately supported Yamamoto’s big league challenge.
Yamamoto’s status in the Nippon League is unrivaled. He went 18-5 with a 1.39 ERA in 2021, 15-5 with a 1.68 ERA in 2022, and 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA this season. Last year, he led his team, the Orix, to the top of the Nippon Series. He won the Sawamura Award, the Japanese league’s version of the Cy Young Award, for three consecutive years (2021-2023). This is the second most in Nippon Professional Baseball history.
Yamamoto has already made his MLB dreams known. He also proved his international competitiveness at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March last year. He gained even more attention when he tried to reach the big leagues the same year as fellow KBO icon Lee Jung-hoo (Kiwoom Heroes).
American sports media outlets have Yamamoto at the top of their free agent rankings. MLB.com reported on June 6 that at least eight teams are interested in Yamamoto, including the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees, citing his performance, pitching tendencies, and injury history. Yamamoto’s contract is rumored to be worth $200 million.
“I had a great experience with the Orix. Thank you for your support and understanding. MLB is the best league. I want to become a good player there.”