Jun 13, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; 9-year-old Keita Sakuma is congratulated by Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) after throwing out the first pitch on his bobblehead night prior to the game against the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Dodgers held a special contest to determine who would throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Yoshinobu Yamamoto bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers fans were asked to submit a video of themselves explaining why they were the biggest Yamamoto supporter, and the right-hander then was due to select a winner from the submissions. Yamamoto chose Keita Sakuma, who took the mound Thursday night for his special moment.
Not only did the 9-year-old deliver a quality first pitch from just in front of the rubber, Sakuma did so while impersonating Yamamoto’s unique windup and delivery.
After taking a small step back with his left leg, Sakuma brought it forward but only slightly as he went to throw the pitch.
Yamamoto’s delivery has been the source of plenty of intrigue, particularly with his fastball velocity nearing 100 mph. Blake Treinen was among multiple Dodgers teammates to voice their excitement in watching Yamamoto pitch and generate such power with so little movement in his windup.
Yamamoto’s training with javelins is another approach that separates him from other pitchers, and that too drew plenty of attention during Spring Training. Mookie Betts briefly began working with Yamamoto’s trainer in effort to explore ways to add longevity to his career.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s extra rest
Yamamoto originally was scheduled to start on his bobblehead night but was pushed back to Saturday in order to receive extra rest. The Dodgers have essentially committed to starting the 25-year-old once a week anyhow, but Yamamoto’s next outing was delayed due to throwing a career-high 106 pitches against the New York Yankees on June 7.
Yamamoto’s seven innings of work at Yankee Stadium were good for his second-longest start of the season.
This article first appeared on Dodger Blue and was syndicated with permission.
