Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto finishes Cactus League work, heads to Japan

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been a busy man.

The Japanese right-hander led the Dodgers with 173⅔ innings during the regular season last year then led the pitching staff through the postseason, including a World Series MVP performance. One hundred and eleven days later, he was on the mound again, pitching in the Cactus League. Now he is on his way to Japan to lead Team Samurai into the World Baseball Classic.

But Yamamoto dismissed any concerns about all of this taxing him for the 2026 season ahead.